The End of The World: February 14, 2016
by SanJohn
Summary: The Ghostbusters are back to battle their old enemies for the end of the world is at hand. Will Professor Spengler's daughter get married? Will Ray lose his daughter and wife? Are Dana and Oscar lost to Peter forever? And what about Winston and the new Ghostbuster team, what is going to happen to them?
1. Prologue

Prologue

A bank of monitors in the lobby showed the Mayor what was now running on WKRR Channel 10 of New York. The Mayor's aide stifled a laugh as the camera moved from a wide shot with eerie synthesizer music to the show in progress: "World of the Psychic with Dr. Peter Venkman."

"Something funny?" the Mayor asked his aide as they were led through a door by one of the workers at Channel 10.

"Not anything I can't handle," the aide replied.

"Good," the Mayor replied looking up at the monitor as they walked.

The video dissolved to the standard low-budgeted talk show set and sitting in the middle was the renowned, somewhat infamous, and pain in the Mayor's side, ex-Ghostbuster Dr. Peter Venkman.

"I hope you can handle him," the Mayor told his aide walking under the video monitor and through another set of doors, "he's been like a nightmare to me these past five years."

The Mayor was there for an interview on running for governor next fall and he didn't want anything to go wrong that day.

"Not a problem Mr. Mayor," the aide replied. "Just leave everything to me."

In the background behind the closed door Peter Venkman's voice could be heard talking to the viewers in a suavely engaging tone, understated and intimate.

"Hi, welcome back to the 'World of the Psychic.' I'm Peter Venkman and I'm chatting with my guest, author, lecturer and of course, psychic, Milton Anglund."

Peter swiveled in his chair to his right to acknowledge his guest.

"Milt," Peter continued in his same sing-song voice, "your new book is called "The End of the World"."

"Yes, that is correct," Milton Anglund answered.

"Now don't take this the wrong way but isn't that kind of like writing about gum disease," Peter said pointing his finger at his guest. "Yes, it could happen, but do you think anybody wants to read a book about it?" Peter finished and shrugged his shoulders, dropping his hands into his lap.

Milton leaned forward in his chair.

"Well, Peter, I think it's important for people to know that the world is in danger."

"Okay Milt," Peter replied raising his hands up off of his lap, with his palms facing up, "so, can you tell me when it's going to happen or do we have to buy the book?"

"Well, I predict that the world will end at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve."

Taken back by the reply Peter pointed his finger to the floor and asked, "This year?"

"Yes."

"Okay, now wait a minute," Peter replied holding up his hands again, "that's cutting it a little close, isn't it?"

Milton Anglund just shrugged his shoulders at Peter.

"Now look I mean from a sales point of view your book just came out, right?" Peter asked.

Milton nodded his head as Peter continued his thought, counting off on the fingers of his right hand.

"So you're not even looking at the paperback release for maybe a year. And you know it's going to be at least another year after that to see if you can get a movie-of-the-week or mini-series potential."

Seeing that his guest was becoming irritated Peter placed a hand on Milton's leg to try and calm him down. The last thing that Peter needed was for this guy to get up and walk off the set.

"Now let me play Devil's advocate here," Peter said, "wouldn't it have been better off predicting that the world will end in 1992 or better yet in 1994 just to be safe."

Milton's temper was flaring now as he pointed his finger at Peter.

"This is not just some money-making scheme!" he shouted at Peter. "I didn't just make up the date."

Milton's face suddenly changed before Peter's eyes. Milton's face dissolved from anger to something of a frightened look. "Or more like someone being controlled by an outside force," Peter thought.

Milton heard the voice in his head again. The pink water from his nightmares was back. Telling him what to do. Controlling him and he didn't like it.

"Join Us! Join Us! Join Us!" it sang to him.

Without knowing what he was doing Milton stopped pointing at Peter and placed his hand on his head rubbing his right temple as he said in a hypnotic voice, "I have a strong psychic belief that the world will end on New Year's Eve."

Peter watched as Milton's right hand started to tremble towards the end of his speech. Peter had seen this before. A man possessed. Only it wasn't a man he had seen, Peter reminded himself. It was a woman and her name was Dana.

Dana, Peter's lost love. Remembering that the camera was still rolling on longer than he would have liked, Peter told Milton, "Well, for your sake I hope you're right. But I think my other guest may disagree with you."

Peter swiveled his chair to his left to face an attractive, timid, New Jersey housewife.

"Elaine, you had another date in mind?"

Quietly, with her head almost facing the ground, Elaine answered Peter's question.

"According to my sources, the world will end on February 14, in the year 2016."

"Valentine's Day. That's got to be a bummer," Peter said as Elaine nodded her head in agreement.

Peter continued, "Elaine, where did you get your information from?"

Elaine sat up a bit straighter in her chair. At least this man wasn't laughing or yelling at her. He wasn't about to hit her either. Her husband hadn't believed her and had hit her hard across the face. Maybe she could trust Peter with her story. Swallowing she told him what had happened to her.

"I received this information from an alien," Elaine said. "As I told my husband, I was in the Paramus Holiday Inn," Elaine dropped her head to look at the floor but continued talking, "I was having a drink at the bar, alone, when this alien approached me and started talking to me."

"He bought me a drink…"

Elaine broke off as if trying to remember something, looking up and closing her eyes in concentration.

Elaine wished she knew what had happened to her. All she could remember was bits and pieces. The bar, a hotel room, someone hurting her...

Elaine's eyes popped open as she looked Peter in the face. "Then he must have used some sort of ray or a mind control device because he made me follow him to his room and that's where he told me about the end of the world," she finished, her voice almost a whisper.

Peter couldn't believe this. Milton with his story about New Year's Eve and now this woman who probably had an affair that she regretted and made up a story about it so she could avoid telling her husband the truth.

"So," Peter thought quickly about what to say to her. "Your alien had a room at the Holiday Inn in Paramus?" was all Peter could think to say.

"It may have been a room on the spacecraft made up to look like a room at the Holiday Inn…" Elaine told Peter dropping her face to the floor and trailing off lost in thought.

Elaine sighed. She had thought that this man would believe her. "Well he didn't really say that now did he," Elaine sternly told herself holding back her tears.

When Elaine looked up into his eyes Peter could see that she had a small tear in her right eye. Barely a whisper Elaine finished her thought. "…I can't be sure, about that Peter."

Peter had about as much as he could take for one day as he rose from his chair telling Elaine, "No, you can't."

Walking towards the camera as the lights went down on his two guests Peter continued speaking to the viewers.

"I think that's the whole problem with aliens; you just can't trust them. You may get some nice ones occasionally like Starman and E.T., but most of them turn out to be some kind of big lizard."

Peter laughed at the camera. "Anyways, we're out of time…" Peter trailed off as he motioned for a stagehand to come forward.

The stagehand came towards Peter carrying a cat.

"So tune in next week on "World of the Psychic" for hairless pets," Peter said as he took the cat from the stagehand and held it up to the camera. "Weird."

Handing the cat back to the stagehand Peter wrapped-up his show.

"Until then this is Peter Venkman saying…"

Peter placed a finger to his temple and sent out a thought to his viewers.

Laughing, Peter took his hand away from his head and turned to say goodbye to his guests.

What a day this had turned out to be. Peter was mad and he was going to let his producer know it. Seeing the man in question Peter went over to him. Peter's producer, a well-meaning young incompetent saw Peter coming his way. This only meant one thing. Peter wanted things to go his way and he was going to hear about it. The two men were squabbling with each other as they came off of the studio floor.

"Where do you find these people Norman? I thought we were having the telekinetic guy who bends the spoons?" Peter stated.

"Look, a lot of the better psychics won't come on the show. They think you're too skeptical," Norman shot back.

"Skeptical!" Peter shouted. Lowering his voice he continued, "Norman, I'm a pushover. I think professional wrestling is real."

Just then, down the hall, Peter saw a group of mayoral assistants walk out of another studio.

"What's all this?" Peter asked Norman.

Norman looked to see the Mayor, his aide, a reporter, and two police officers coming towards them.

"They just got done interviewing the Mayor for "Cityline"," Norman told Peter.

"The Mayor! He's a friend of mine," Peter replied as he started off down the hall towards the Mayor.

"Lenny!" Peter called out.

Peter was getting worked up. He had been trying to talk to the Mayor for years now and nothing was going to stop him now.

The Mayor looked up to see who was calling him and quickly hurried off pretending not to know who he was, leaving his aide to take care of Doctor Peter Venkman.

"Lenny! It's Pete Venkman!" Peter called trying to follow the Mayor.

The Mayor's aide put a hand against Peter's chest stopping him from following the Mayor as he snidely remarked, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," Peter dangerously replied, "you can get your hand off my chest."

Looking to see that the Mayor was safely out of the room the aide smiled and dropped his hand.

"I'm Jack Hardemeyer. I'm the Mayor's assistant. What can I do for you?" he asked Peter.

"I'm an old friend of the Mayor's," Peter retorted sarcastically. "I just want to say hello and give him a kiss."

"I know who you are, Doctor Venkman," Jack Hardemeyer snared at him. "Busting any ghosts lately?"

"No!" Peter spat at Mr. Hardemeyer, "that's what I want to talk to the Mayor about. You see we did a little job for the city a while back and we ended up getting sued, screwed, and tattooed by deskworms like you."

"Look," Mr. Hardemeyer said as he pointed a finger at Peter, "you stay away from the Mayor. Next fall, barring a disaster, he's going to be elected governor of this state and the last thing we need is for him to be associated with two-bit frauds and publicity hounds like you and your friends. You read me?"

Mr. Hardemeyer turned and walked away from him as Peter shouted to his retreating back.

"Okay I get it. But I want you to tell Lenny that because of you, I'm not voting for him!"

The scene below Mr. Hardemeyer misted over as he closed his eyes. He had been watching his past through the void, a place devoid of love, light, and everything. A realm of complete and profound darkness that was controlled by the thought patterns of those near it. For some people it showed what they desired most. For him, the void only showed him what he had lost, each and every time he looked into it.

Jack Hardemeyer was mad. Here he was trapped in...well he didn't really know where he was, but he did know that he hated it and it all had to do with Doctor Peter Venkman.

"So, do you want revenge?"

Jack opened his eyes and turned to look at the man who had spoken to him. He was a tall man dressed all in brown. The man had long gray-white hair that hung loose past his shoulders. He wore a thick leather 'jack of plate' which was comprised of small iron plates sewn between layers of leather and canvas. Below his belt the man wore a set of faulds to protect his waist and hips. These were "V" in shape and had studs embedded into the ends.

Set around the man's neck was a modified aventail that extended to the man's shoulders and had studs, spikes, and a set of skulls arranged on it. Vambraces were worn without the couter or elbow defense on his lower arms. The vambraces' leather was reinforced with longitudinal strips of hardened hide complete with studs.

The man's look was completed by a pair of brown leather pants and tall leather boots that acted like greaves to cover and protect the man's lower leg and ankle.

Jack gulped and nodded his head towards the man. He had learned that Lord Vigo was a sorcerer not to be messed with. The 16th Century medieval tyrant ruled with an iron fist. Ever since Jack had been pulled through the pink slime covering the Metropolitan Museum of Art he had come under Vigo's rule.

Thinking that it was just another trick of the "Ghostbusters", Jack had yelled at the man demanding to know where he was and what had happened to him. Vigo had answered him back by torturing him with a blue electric light that he sent Jack's way. Jack had felt like he was dying that day, so long ago, his lungs burning him as he found it getting harder and harder to draw a breath.

Vigo had eventually released him and Jack had learned his lesson that day. He didn't cross Vigo the Torturer ever again after that.

Eventually, Jack had found others like him in this place and had learned that Vigo had other names, depending upon whom he asked. Vigo the Cruel, Vigo the Despised, and Vigo the Unholy were among the often whispered names the people here gave him.

"Answer Me!" Vigo roared at Jack.

"Yes, My Lord," Jack replied genuflecting upon his left knee to worship Vigo. "Yes, I want revenge. Revenge on Doctor Peter Venkman and his friends."

"Then you shall have it," Vigo sternly told Jack. "Soon the day of unveiling comes forth when the sixth and seventh seals will be broken off. At that time you will be sent to bring me the child from the girl of your enemy."

"Gladly," Jack told Vigo his face to the ground in front of him.

Vigo smiled. He was going to enjoy what was to come. Jack would be his puppet as he worked his revenge on the men who had trapped him here. He had tried to returned to Earth in 1989 using the slime, generated by Slor, to boost his powers and enabling him to manifest an army of angry spirits to terrorize New York City. Although the slime granted Vigo power enough to manifest his army, he could not regain a physical form. For this reason, he needed a baby to possess.

Dana Barrett's baby Oscar had been his choice until the "Ghostbusters" had attacked him with positively charged slime, blasting him back to where he was now. He was going to rule again if he had his way and his new partner was going to help him do so.

"Vigo!"

Vigo turned to face the woman who had called his name. A beautiful woman with jet black hair wearing a thin, transparent, long white, silk dress of Babylon design which she had wrapped around her body twice with the upper part of the fringed dress draped around her neck only once. Her breasts clearly showing beneath the thin material. A wide red belt completed the look which she had tied up high on her hips. On the woman's feet were white leather sandals with a closed back and small heel.

"Gozer," Vigo replied turning away from Jack and walking towards the woman. "What do you need my love?"

"Are our plans coming into play?" she asked stopping before her mate.

"Yes," Vigo replied stopping and taking Gozer's hand. "Jack Hardemeyer will fulfill our plans of ruling the Earth together as King and Queen."

Vigo gently turned Gozer around and walked with her back the way that she had come.

"Good," Gozer replied allowing Vigo to take her back to their room that they shared. "As soon as you can get the child, I will be able to possess the young girl of our enemy and they will do nothing to stop us."

"Yes, my love."

Gozer smiled. When she had first met Vigo it had not been love at first sight. Rather it was a battle in which neither had won. Panting for breath, Gozer had given up on fighting with Vigo. It was getting her nowhere. She needed to destroy the world not this man.

Gozer had been known as The Traveler; visiting multiple worlds and conquering them. During each of her manifestations in the material plane throughout history, Gozer would first gain access to a world through the coupling of two demi-god minions and heralds - the Keymaster and the Gatekeeper. Once the minions had opened the doorway for her, Gozer would destroy the world. That was until the "Ghostbusters" had stopped her. The men had crossed the streams from their proton packs and forced the gate closed, banishing Gozer back to her hellish realm in which she retained her earliest form from Babylon. That was where she had met Vigo some time later.

"Let's work together," she called out to the man fighting her.

In the end it had worked. Vigo had stopped fighting her as she sat and listened to the man's story. Vigo's story was much like hers. Working with Vigo had been her only way to get out of this place where they were both stuck right now. She hated the "Ghostbusters" as much as Vigo did for what they had done to her. Soon they would pay. The "Ghostbusters" would be torn apart in their fight to stop Vigo and her and that made the plan that the pair was forming fool proof.

For if Vigo could proceed to possess the child of their enemy, she could possess the young girl and the "Ghostbusters" would not fight them for fear of hurting one of their own. This she had learned from watching them through the void. Squeezing Vigo's hand she walked with him past his subjects who each, in turn, genuflected upon their left knee to worship the pair.

Yes, she was going to enjoy their plan very much.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ray sighed and looked apologetically to the man in the kitchen, holding the phone to his chest so that the caller couldn't hear him.

"Look, I'm sorry about this Egon," Ray said quietly before replacing the phone back to his ear.

Professor Egon Spengler just waved his hand Ray's way telling him not to worry about it and turned and left the kitchen so that Ray could have some privacy. Besides he needed to pack for his upcoming trip to Wyoming anyways.

Egon knew who Ray was talking to and why. It made no difference to him that Melody had called collect from China looking for her husband. Ray and his wife were having marital problems and it all stemmed down to their daughter.

Nokomis Cobalt Stantz, born April 15, 1997 had just turned eighteen years old this year and was also a drop-out from High School. His daughter Echo was going on six at the time that Nokomis had been born to her Uncle Ray. Even though Ray and Melody lived in the Bronx, Echo had only seen her cousin a few times growing up. Melody worked for the New York University in the Archaeology Department. Her degree was in historic archaeology and she specialized in the Warring States Period of Ancient China. Melody's job took her and her daughter out of the United States for many months and that is why Echo only got to see Nokomis on certain holidays.

Egon opened the door to his bedroom and after walking through it, made sure it was tightly closed behind him. Ray didn't need him eaves dropping in on his conversation with Melody. When Ray and Melody had first gotten married Ray had been fine with Melody being gone most of the time because of her job, but things had changed after Nokomis was born. Crossing to the closet on his left Egon pulled out a duffle bag from the bottom and placed it on the bed. As he packed the bag he remembered back to when Nokomis had been born.

Melody had gone into labor at their home in the Bronx that the couple shared with Ray's sister Jean and her two children. The only one who was home at the time was Jean's son Robert. He was seven years old and had just gotten off of the bus from school when he walked into the house to hear his Aunt Melody crying from the bedroom. Robert had called his Uncle Ray at work and then sat by Melody's side holding her hand as she delivered a healthy eight pound baby girl on the bed in the couple's bedroom.

"Aunt Melody," Robert said holding up a blue glass bottle that he had gotten from school, "your baby's eyes are the color of cobalt blue pigment used in glassware. We learned that at school today."

Melody smiled at Robert as she wrapped her new born baby up in the bed sheet, "So they are, but you do know that they probably will not stay that color."

"Says who?"

"Genetics."

"Genetics," Robert rolled the name around in his mouth, "who's that?"

Egon smiled as he recalled having to explain what genetics was to Robert that fourth of July when the three families had gone to see the Macy's Firework display at Hudson River Park. Echo had been sitting in his wife's lap listening to every word he said.

"Okay," Egon heaved a sigh, "one more time. Genetics deals with the molecular structure and function of genes, gene behavior in context of a cell or organism, patterns of inheritance from parent to offspring, and gene distribution, variation and change in populations, such as through Genome-Wide Association Studies."

"What are you talking about Uncle Egon?" Robert asked. "I just want to know why Nokomis will not keep her cobalt blue eyes."

"Robert," Echo said, "I'll explain it."

Echo got up off her Mother's lap and picked up a stick nearby. She then drew a punnett square in the dirt.

"Let's pretend that each of these four squares is what Nokomis's eyes will look like, okay?" Echo told him.

"Okay, I follow you."

"What color are Uncle Ray's eyes?" she asked Robert.

"Brown," Robert replied smiling, "I can see them from here."

"Good," Echo said drawing a capital 'B' on the top of each box. "Let's pretend that this capital 'B' stands for brown eyes. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes."

"Good, now what color are Aunt Melody's eyes?"

Robert walked over to where Aunt Melody sat nursing her baby and looked into her eyes.

"Their green," he replied trotting back over to Echo and her diagram in the dirt. "So that means that a capital 'G' for green goes in these spots," Robert said pointing to the left of the punnett square proud of himself.

"Yes, only this time we use a lower case 'g' too," Echo replied as she drew in the dirt a capital 'G' and below it a lower case 'g'.

"Why?"

"Because green eyes are considered to be less common than brown so scientists explain it with a small 'g'. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, so now what?"

"Now," Echo explained as she started filling in the empty squares, "we add them up. We take the letter from the left and add it to the letter from the top with the capital letter always going in front of the lower case letter."

Robert watched as Echo started filling in the empty squares. Soon two squares had a combination of 'GB' and two squares had a combination of 'Bg'. Puzzled, Robert squinted his face up into a scowl.

"As you can see," Echo explained, "there are two boxes with green eyes and two boxes with brown eyes."

"So if I understand this right there is no chance that Nokomis will have cobalt blue eyes?"

"Correct," Echo said as she placed the stick back down on the ground. "Nokomis will have a 50% chance of being either a brown or green eyed girl."

"Like you," Robert pointed out. "Uncle Egon has brown eyes and your mother has green. That's why your eyes are green. Am I right?"

"Yes," Echo said going back over to her Mother's lap, "welcome to the world of genetics!"

Egon's laugh was cut short as he heard Ray yelling from the kitchen through his closed bedroom door.

"Melody I just can't get on a plane and leave for China today! Nokomis will come back. She always does. She is just being spiteful right now."

"Raymond," Melody's voice could be heard shouting over the phone, "you weren't even there when she was born!"

"I was working!" Ray shot back.

Egon crossed the floor of his bedroom and placed a hand on the knob but before he opened the door he stopped. Shaking his head he retraced his steps back to the bed and his packing. "No," he told himself. "Ray will come to me." Egon knew that to be true. Too many times over the past month Ray had come to him on the verge of tears to talk about Melody and Nokomis. Egon quietly listened as Ray vented his frustrations out on his best friend, often crying in the end. Eden had been right. Melody wasn't Ray's mate.

"I don't think that this marriage between Ray and Melody is going to work out," Eden told her husband as she got ready for bed one night.

"Why?"

"Because Melody is a Leo."

"So?" Egon questioned her as she slid beneath the covers and cuddled up next to him.

"Ben was a Leo," Eden whispered as she shivered holding onto her husband for comfort.

Egon had gently kissed the top of Eden's head that night. Eden had never spoken about her dead ex-boyfriend after they had gotten married. Egon knew about his wife's past. He knew that Ben had sexually assaulted her one night resulting in Eden becoming pregnant. When Eden had told Ben about her pregnancy three months later he had physically assaulted her resulting in the stillbirth of the child that she carried. Ben had tried to kill Eden that day when Iris, Eden's roommate at the time, came to her rescue. Iris had saved Eden by breaking Ben's neck but Iris had been scarred for life because of it.

In the end Melody wanted out and had told Ray so right after Nokomis's birthday party.

"After all Raymond," Melody had told him, "she is now old enough to take care of herself at eighteen. She doesn't need to see us fighting with each other."

Nokomis really didn't need to see her parents fighting and that was one of the reasons that she had started failing in school and finally dropped out her senior year. Each parent, not meaning to, had tried to make the other one look bad and Nokomis had fought back the only way she knew how. She started running away from home.

The first time was when she was sixteen years of age. Echo had just turned 22 years old in December when Uncle Ray had called up the next day on Christmas to tell Egon that Nokomis had left. Echo, her boyfriend Daniel, and Egon had gone looking for Nokomis. Echo had found her sitting in the snow in Davenport Park by the bank of the Long Island Sound crying her heart out. Echo had brought Nokomis back home to her parents, but that had only been the beginning. Nokomis had taken to leaving the house whenever her parents fought. Sometimes she came back a few hours later and sometimes she came back days later. Nokomis had even stayed away a week once when she had just turned seventeen.

Ray shook his head as he held his tongue. Getting mad and yelling at his wife wasn't going to bring Nokomis back any quicker. She always came back when she ran out of money or got hungry but now things were different Ray told himself. Nokomis had never left Melody's side when they were out of the country. She just didn't do that. They were never really in any one place for too long so Nokomis never became familiar with the city or town. "Yes, this time was different," Ray told himself.

"Look Melody," Ray spoke softly, "I'm sorry about yelling at you. I will see what I can do to get to you. Where are you staying at?"

Ray jotted down the address where Melody and her fellow archaeologists were at and thanked her before hanging up the phone. How in the world had this happened? Nokomis had been missing for eight hours and Melody had just now called him. "Calm down," Ray told himself, "Melody was probably looking for Nokomis all this time and just now was able to get to town and find a phone." Ray sighed and sat down at the kitchen table staring at the paper in his hands.

Melody was at the Ruins of Ancient Loulan in China some 300km northeast of Ruoqiang. She had told Ray that the expedition of archaeologists were staying at Korla Licheng Garden Hotel in Korla, China. Ray knew where China was and that Korla was in the Xinjiang province but that's where his knowledge ended. He needed help and knew that he was going to have to get his best friend involved in his personal problems.

"Egon," Ray called out.

Ray heard footsteps and then saw the door to Egon's bedroom open. Ray tried to hold back his emotions but when Egon crossed the room to sit by his side at the kitchen table, placing a hand on his arm, Ray lost it.

"Nokomis ran away," Ray choked out running a sleeve across his wet eyes.

"Where was she?" Egon asked.

Ray looked up at Egon. Like all those times before, Egon hadn't judged him and always asked the same question every time. It really was a starting point for Ray, Egon, Echo, and Daniel to start looking for his daughter. They had done this before, each taking a different direction. But somehow Ray didn't think that it would work this time. Melody and Nokomis were in China. It wasn't like being in the Bronx. China was bigger and he didn't even speak the language. Melody did and Nokomis only a little bit.

"Loulan China," Ray replied.

"The ruins?" Egon questioned.

"Yes."

Ray watched as Egon's face went white.

"Ray that area is called 'the forbidden zone' for a good reason," Egon whispered.

"Why?"

"Because of the difficult elements there," Egon answered. "A trip to the Ancient City of Loulan is not recommended for the casual tourist or individual backpacker. The journey is difficult and the environment harsh with temperatures between day and night extreme. Vehicles are not allowed any closer than 18km to the ruins so you have to walk or ride a camel the rest of the way. You are advised to bring enough water and food to last for at least fifteen days and wear striking colored clothing so that rescuers can spot you easily."

"How do you know?"

Egon looked away from Ray before he answered him, "Our department lost a good man to that area last year."

Ray didn't push Egon any further about what had happened. Death was a tough subject for Egon to deal with. First he had lost his father, then his wife, and this year his mother. Ray knew that Katherine's death was fresh on Egon's mind that day.

"So, where do I go?" Ray asked. "How do I get to Loulan China, let alone find Nokomis?"

"I think the first place that we need to start is at Melody's work," Egon replied rising from his chair and walking towards the back door. "Come on, I'll drive. We need to pay a visit to the Associate Professor of East Asian Art and Archaeology."

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The office was simple in design with a large picture window looking out onto 84th Street. Filing cabinets sat to the left if you were standing in the doorway and to the right was a bookcase filled with antique Chinese figures and books. A wooden desk sat in the middle with two chairs for visitors in front. Behind the desk sat Professor Lillian Lan-ying Tseng buried deep in some Han Dynasty writings she had spread across her desk. She was in her mid-forties, of Taiwan descent, with short black hair. Squinting her eyes up she opened the top door of her desk and produced a large magnifying glass. Turning back to the document, she looked closer.

"Now that can't be right," she said as a knock on her door could be heard.

"Enter!" she announced absorbed in the writings.

Ray, followed by Egon, entered the room to find Professor Tseng muttering to herself as she followed the ancient Chinese writing with her finger on the document before her.

"_A dark day cometh in the second month of the new year. A day that evil will come forth to destroy all that is good. Two demons will return to lead the way, demons that had been vanquished by good long ago. The end of the world cometh quickly through evil powers and will devour all that is good if they are not stopped. All manors of plagues will occur to the human race. Will there be any one who can save the fate of mankind?"_

Professor Tseng followed along the ancient text still muttering to herself unaware that she had two visitors standing before her desk.

"_There can be a savior for that day if sacrifices are made by all. A story is told from days long ago of a trio of men that will come. They will come from the east and gather all the evil unto them as they go. They will go to five places on the earth destroying all the evil before them. Lives will be lost on both sides but good will overcometh evil in the end."_

"Now what is that supposed to mean," she said to herself, as she finished reading and placed the magnifying glass down on her desk.

"I have no idea Professor Tseng," Ray said, leaning on the cane he held in his right hand. "Melody and you are the only ones that I know of who study ancient Chinese history here at the university."

"Raymond!" Professor Tseng exclaimed, "I didn't see you come in. What brings you down here?" she said as she indicated with her hand for the two men to take a seat.

Ray and Egon proceeded to sit down in the two chairs facing Professor Tseng's desk as Ray placed his cane on the floor next to his chair. He first introduced Egon and then proceeded to tell Professor Tseng why they were here. Ray told her about Melody's call and Nokomis's disappearance.

"Egon thought it best to see you first before I left for China," Ray finished.

"And for good reason," she said as she picked up her phone and dialed a number, "One of the great mysteries in Chinese history is the disappearance of the ancient city of Loulan. The world-famous city ruins of the Loulan Kingdom were swallowed up by the shifting sands of the Taklamakan Desert some 1,400 years ago. The area has also claimed modern human life too. Most recently Professor Robert E. Harrist from Columbia University."

Ray saw Egon look down at the floor as Professor Tseng spoke Robert's name. He had never personally met the professor, but he did know that Professor Robert E. Harrist was the man that Egon had worked under when he came back to New York City from Ohio in 1989.

"Excuse me a moment please," Professor Tseng said as she spoke into the receiver of the phone, "Ethan, it's Lillian. Look I need for you to bring everything you have on Loulan China and come to my office right away. Melody's daughter has gone missing. Thanks," she said as she hung up the phone.

Roughly ten minutes later a young man in his early thirties with short, light brown hair, carrying an olive drab colored shoulder bag walked into Professor Tseng's office.

"Lillian," the man said, "I figured you wanted a rematch on our game of weiqi last week when you called. I had no idea that Melody's daughter was in trouble."

Professor Tseng introduced Professor Ethan Harkness to Ray and Egon as Ethan proceeded to pull books, maps, documents, and photographs out of his shoulder bag and place them on Professor Tseng's desk.

"Melody was extremely interested in the ruins at Loulan," Ethan told the two men. "You see Loulan was the capital of the 36 kingdoms in the western region of the Han Dynasty as well as an important thoroughfare on the ancient Silk Road. Among the articles found there besides the woman mummy they call "Loulan Beauty" was a precious hand-written copy of the Strategies of the Warring States Period."

"Melody's interest," Ray stated.

"Correct," Ethan answered unrolling a map. "Here is present day Korla," he said pointing at the map as Egon and Ray looked on. "The Ruins of Ancient Loulan are here," Ethan replied as he moved his finger down the map and to the right, following the Kongque River to stop by the northwestern bank of Lop Nor.

"But why would Melody want to go there?" Egon asked. "Surely the document that she wanted to study is at a museum or library by now."

"Melody was interested in trying to prove that bronze tools were introduced to the Chinese people and not invented in China like the Chinese have stated in their writings," Professor Tseng replied.

"You're right Lillian. Believe it or not the Silk Road in China went both ways. Items came into China as well as silk going out. Just imagine if one were to find a Bronze Age seafarer in America, it would obviously create worldwide controversy," Ethan said as he opened a book. "The Han Chinese considered themselves to be occupiers of the center of the world. Everyone else were savages in their eyes, so the discovery of Europeans on their territory meant that their cherished self-opinion was wrong."

Consulting the book Ethan continued, "DNA tests were conducted on a dozen of the mummies found at Loulan and the results backed up Melody's theory. While it is clear that the early inhabitants of the area were primarily Caucasians it is equally clear that they did not all belong to a single homogeneous group. Rather, they represented a variety of peoples who seem to have connections with many far-flung parts of the Eurasian land mass for more than two millennia."

"So if I understand you correctly, China is genetically a mixture of different races, contrary to the political idea of theirs that they are of 'pure genes'?" Egon asked. "Like living in New York City. A big melting pot of people all living together and sharing their genes."

"Correct," Professor Tseng answered. "It puts a whole new meaning on the saying 'Sleeping Around'."

"So what has that got to do with Nokomis running away?" Ray asked.

"Way back from the beginning of the discovery of the ruins of the Loulan Kingdom by Swedish explorer Sven Hedin there have been tomb raiders and looting," Ethan explained laying down the book that he had been reading from. Picking up the photographs he handed them to Ray and Egon.

Looking at the photographs the two men could clearly see graves that had been unearthed, with wooden coffins torn open exposing skeletons, some badly desecrated. Ray's hands started shaking with anger and he handed the photographs off to Egon. From his life with Melody, Ray could never understand why someone would do this to history.

Ethan continued as Egon examined the photographs, "Over the years the local police authorities have tried to deal with the problem to some extent."

"You see," Professor Tseng said, "the cash profits to be made are enormous. Why an intact colored coffin can fetch up to a million yuan in Urumqi."

"That's one hundred twenty thousand dollars in U.S. money," Ethan stated pointing a finger at the photograph Egon held in his hand of only a skeleton, with no coffin, tossed out into the desert sand. "But the loss to the nation in terms of its cultural heritage is incalculable."

"But you still didn't answer Ray's question," Egon pointed out handing the photographs back to Ethan. "What does any of this have to do with Nokomis running away?"

"Professor Spengler what you may not know is that Nokomis was Melody's field technician," Professor Tseng answered him.

"Correct," Ray answered, "Nokomis was always good with a Total Station transit."

Egon nodded his head. A Total Station transit was a tool that allowed archaeologists to make an accurate three-dimensional map of a site. He had used one back when he was an assistant to Professor Harrist.

Professor Tseng continued, "If Nokomis had an artifact on her and there were tomb raiders nearby then maybe she didn't run away after all."

"But wouldn't someone from the expedition have seen this happen?" Ray asked getting scared now.

"Not if there was a dust storm that sprang up," Ethan answered. "The best time to go to the ruins is in the spring or autumn but dust storms can happen at any time. There is also another possibility."

"What?" Ray asked.

Ethan looked towards Professor Tseng. Ray could see that something clearly was upsetting the man who stood before him. Something he didn't want to talk about. Professor Tseng dipped her head slightly and sighed before she spoke in a quiet voice.

"Raymond, there is also the possibility of human trafficking."

Ray sat there shocked. Human trafficking. No that couldn't be. He must have heard wrong. Not his daughter. This wasn't happening to him. He felt a hand and looked over to see Egon's hand on his upper arm. If anyone knew how he was feeling right now it would be his best friend. Egon who had lost so much, including his daughter for a short period of time. Ray vaguely heard Professor Tseng explaining.

"Trafficking for forced labor remains a notable problem in China even today," Professor Tseng said quietly. "Most of the work is in brick kilns, coal mines, and factories which operate illegally and take advantage of lax supervision in the poorer regions of China. There continue to be reports that children are forced into…," Professor Tseng trailed off unable to finish her sentence.

How could she tell the man sitting before her that his daughter was probably doing things right now against her will? She shook her head and looked to Ethan for help.

Ethan finished Professor Tseng's thought. "Reports have come out of Xinjiang province of forced child prostitution. There has been a rise in 16 to 20 year old girls as the main target for forced marriages."

The room fell silent. Ray couldn't say anything and sat there staring at the floor, shaking his head back and forth. He felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach. Not his Nokomis. Not his precious daughter. All he could think about was getting to Melody as quickly as possible and trying to find his daughter.

"When can I leave for China?" he asked to no one in particular.

Professor Tseng picked up her phone and dialed a number as she spoke to Ray, "As soon as I can get you on a plane. Don't forget your passport."

"I'm going with you," Ethan said gathering his things.

"I can do this alone," Ray said as he raised his face from the floor to look at Ethan.

"When was the last time you were in China?" Ethan asked.

"I've been to Paris before."

"That's in France," Ethan stated placing his items back into the shoulder bag. "And I know from Melody that that knee of yours is starting to give you trouble these days, right?"

Ray nodded his head. He had had his right knee replaced by Doctor Elton Strauss back in January of 2008. Now seven years later he was having problems with it and Ray was looking at another operation next year.

"Ray," Egon said, "I think it best if you have someone who knows the area and speaks the language to go with you. I wish I could go but…" Egon trailed off.

Ray knew what Egon was going to say. Egon was leaving on a trip with his daughter and Daniel to Wyoming in a week. They were taking the Venkmans, the Tully's two twin boys, the Zeddemores, and the Riveras. They were going to be meeting Echo's Grandfather Parnell in the Teton National Park where he was a Park Ranger now. If it was only him and his daughter going Egon would follow Ray to China, but with the amount of people and planning that it had taken Egon couldn't pull out now.

"Egon, it's fine," Ray said as he placed his hand on top of Egon's. "Just pray that we find Nokomis."

Egon nodded his head and smiled at his friend. Indeed he hoped that Ray could find his daughter. Egon hated to think of Nokomis as a prostitute somewhere in Beijing or Shanghai with the local population being over twenty million. It would be like having to find a needle in the proverbial haystack.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ray was tired as he walked the last couple of feet, following Ethan, to where the expedition was in the Taklamakan Desert. It had been a long day for him and Ethan. Professor Tseng had been able to get the two men on a plane out of JFK International Airport that night. Actually it had been yesterday, or was that Tuesday afternoon Ray thought to himself. Well it was something along those lines. Here in China it was Thursday morning, back home in New York it was Wednesday night.

The flight had been a little over forty hours with two stops. The first one was in Beijing where the pair had switched planes, and the next was in Urumqi. They finally landed early in the morning in Korla. Arriving at the hotel, hoping to find Melody and the expedition team, they were an hour too late. The team had left for the Loulan ruins already.

Ray's knee was killing him as he did his best to keep up with Ethan that day. Sitting for prolonged periods of time didn't help any. It had been all Ray could do to keep from crying out in pain as he transferred planes in Beijing, limping down the airports hallways. There had been little that he could do to stretch his leg inside the plane and he really needed a warm bath right now to relieve the soreness. Ray was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard yelling over the top of the hill in front of him.

Stopping at the top of the sandy hill that they had been walking up, Ray stood beside Ethan. Below them was the expedition team they had missed at the hotel that morning. Ethan had explained on the plane that Melody and her fellow archaeologists were only given a short period of time, by the Chinese government, that they could be in Loulan. The expedition was to be out of the area in two weeks time. Melody had ten days left and it clearly showed before Ray now.

The scene that he saw laid out before him was amazing. Out of the desert sand a town was emerging. Buildings, houses, roads that had been uncovered long before Melody and her team had gotten there, were being worked on. Melody's team was digging deeper into the sand. The expedition was working in four different areas of the town. Each team, in their certain area, was carefully unfolding back the sands of time to find artifacts, animals, and people.

"The deeper into the sand and dirt you dig, the deeper into the past you go," Melody always said to Ray.

Off to the right side of the town, up against a mountain, Ray could see the top of a metal ladder reaching out of a hole. This was the newly discovered tomb that Melody had told Ray they had found when she called about Nokomis disappearance. Cursing could now be heard, coming out of the hole. Ray smiled and followed Ethan down the hill and into the site. Ray knew that voice. It was Melody's and from the tone of it she was probably scolding out a student right now.

As the pair neared the ladder a figure could be seen rising up out of the hole. Yep, Ray had been right, it was a student and a young one at that. Looking to be barely over the age of twenty with sandy blond hair and blue eyes, the student looked out of place. Her designer jeans and expensive boots were covered in sand and she was muttering to herself, "I should have stayed in New York."

Ethan laughed out loud, when he heard her, as he and Ray came to a stop at the top of the ladder.

"If you stayed in New York you would have missed all the fun," Ethan told the student.

"I didn't want to be here in the first place," she said as she stepped off of the ladder and onto the ground. "My parents made me come."

Walking away she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and told Ethan, "I wouldn't go down there if I were you. Professor Stantz is on the war path today."

Ethan turned towards Ray. "So," he said, "who wants to go first into the lion's den?"

"I'll go," Ray said taking his backpack that he was wearing off and setting it on the ground. Ray walked over to the ladder and handed Ethan his cane. "I'm the one she's mad at right now anyways. Ethan when I get to the bottom toss me my cane," Ray called as he started down the ladder and into the hole.

When Ray reached the bottom of the hole Ethan tossed Ray's cane down to him and a flashlight that he dug out of his own backpack he was wearing. Turning on the flashlight, Ray saw only one way to go and that was to his left. Following the narrow ten meter long tunnel, Ray could see light ahead of him as the tunnel opened up into a chamber. It was cooler underground and Ray wished he had brought his sweater with him from his backpack.

"I told you to go back to the hotel!" the occupant of the chamber spat at Ray, the woman's back towards him. "You don't even know the difference between wool and silk. I can't use you. I really need…," she trailed off and placed a hand on the wall she was standing in front of.

"Nokomis," Ray finished for her, stopping before he reached the chamber. "I really could use her too Melody."

Professor Melody Stantz turned around surprised to see her husband standing in the tunnel. When she had called Ray she had her doubts that he would even come. Twelve years younger in age than Ray, Melody was a beautiful woman with curly, dark brown hair that hung to her shoulders and emerald green eyes. She was not tall, only an inch shorter than her husband, with a round face and small lips, but her temper was a cosmos unto itself. This Melody used often with her students who she considered incompetent at what they knew they should be doing.

"Raymond?" she questioned, figuring her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Yea, it's me," Ray replied walking into the chamber.

Looking around Ray could see mural paintings on the wall behind his wife. They looked to represent the ongoing struggle for survival in a long dead society that time forgot.

"Melody, I'm sorry about Nokomis," Ray said coming to a stop before her, his flashlight pointed to the ground so as not to blind her with its ray. "Has there been any word?"

"No," Melody said hanging her head, "it's my fault she's gone you know."

"Why do you say that?"

Melody raised her head towards her husband. "Because I raised my voice to her and disagreed with her."

"What did you disagree over?"

"Here," Melody said turning away from Ray, "I'll show you."

Following Melody's flashlight that she held in front of her, Ray came to a narrow opening in the chamber's wall that he didn't see before. Melody stopped before a slit in the wall leading off of the main chamber.

"Raymond," Melody said as she turned sideways and slid into the opening, "you are going to have to squeeze through. I hope you can fit with your 'extra padding'."

Ray looked down at his stomach. He had let himself get out of shape these past few years and Melody knew it. Ray loved to jog and would take off with his young daughter every morning when she was home to jog around Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx close to their home. But that all changed when he got his knee replaced. He was unable to jog then and in turn he had started to gain weight. That hadn't helped the joints in his body or his artificial knee. Doctor Strauss now needed to go in and replace the parts of Ray's knee that were breaking down. The surgery was scheduled for February of next year.

"In that time I need for you to lose some weight or we are going to be right back where we started," Doctor Strauss had told Ray.

Taking a deep breath, Ray sucked in his 'extra padding' as Melody called it and slid into the opening, hoping that he wouldn't get stuck. A short time later Ray felt the end of the passage and squeezed out.

Shocked Ray stood there looking at the burial chamber before him. The tomb was built from rock with wooden support beams around the sides. Actual graves, covered with stone, were along the walls. Pictures were painted onto the walls and ceiling of the room. Among all of this were artifacts. Tools and wooden pieces sat on a table to Ray's left, while coins and jewelry sat on another to his right. Ray could see pottery and glassware, along with hair combs at the end of some of the graves. Ray knew that these were personal possessions and were intended to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife. Something caught Ray's eye as he swung his beam of light around the room. A flash of metal.

Ray moved further into the burial chamber as his wife stood still smiling at him. She knew what had caught Ray's attention. It was the first thing that she had seen too when she had entered the room. Bronzeware. In this case a bow and arrow tips made out of bronze material were sitting at the foot of one of the graves.

"Melody," Ray said moving towards the grave, "is this…"

"Bronze," Melody interrupted, "Yes, Raymond it is."

Ray turned to look at his wife where she stood by the entrance. "So, have you dated it yet?"

"Yes," she replied.

"And?" Ray asked turning back to the grave.

"The other artifacts in the room are roughly around the time of the Xia Dynasty," Melody stated walking towards Ray. "Even the burial chamber suggests a certain town cemetery. A place where the local people were buried regardless of their religious beliefs."

"Xia Dynasty? Remind me when that was again Melody."

"2100 - 1600 B.C."

Ray had bent over the grave and was looking at the bow and arrow tips as Melody was speaking to him. Something wasn't right with what Melody had said to him just now. The Xia Dynasty wasn't what China considered its bronze age, was it?

"Melody, the Xia Dynasty wasn't…"

"Yes, Raymond," Melody said interrupting him again, "the bronze age wasn't until the Shang Dynasty. This proves that Xu Xusheng was correct."

"Xu Xusheng was the president of Beijing Normal University in the 1930's and single-handedly discovered the Erlitou culture in 1959," Melody told Ray stopping before him. "The Erlitou culture was an early bronze age urban society that existed in China during the Xia Dynasty. Mr. Xusheng discovered a bronze smelting workshop among the ruins. But most archaeologists remain unconvinced of the connection between the Erlitou culture and the Xia Dynasty since there are no extant written records."

"This also proves that my theory is correct," Melody finished as she started to remove the stones from the grave that Ray was at.

"What you can't see down here is that the passage into the first chamber is aligned in such a way that the sun shines into it at a significant point in the year. For example at sunrise on the winter solstice or at sunset on the equinox."

Melody continued to remove the stones as she spoke to her husband. "This burial chamber is consistent with passage graves along the Atlantic façade of Europe and this man proves it."

Melody had started at the man's feet and was working her way up. As she removed each stone, brushing the sand away from the grave with her hand brush, Ray could see a person's body appearing and it was fully dressed. Roughly about six feet tall, the man had reddish brown hair, a long nose, full lips and a ginger beard. He was wearing a red twill tunic and tartan leggings. The condition of the corpse was well preserved and if Ray didn't know any better he could have sworn that he was looking upon someone who had died a few years ago. But what was most impressive was that the man was of European looking descent.

"Melody…," Ray tried to speak, unsure of himself and if his eyes were playing tricks on him in the dark. "That man doesn't look Chinese to me."

"No, he doesn't. And if I had all the money in the world to bet, I would place him as a Celt. His bronze bow and arrow tips prove it to me. This is significantly earlier than what Chinese people have been led to believe about bronze work developing inside China separately from outside influences, and it is an important discovery. It proves that bronze was imported rather than discovered independently in China. It shows that the Silk Road was a route of transmission, a sort of modern day interstate highway, from the west to the east bringing with it new discoveries and people."

"So is this what you were disagreeing with Nokomis over?"

"No Raymond. Nokomis helped me take some muscle tissue samples for DNA testing to be done back home. She agreed with my findings. We disagreed over this man."

Melody got up from the ground where she had been squatting before the Celt man's grave. Turning to her right she walked over to the corner of the burial chamber, Ray followed her in the dark with his flashlight. Something was hiding under another wooden table that he hadn't seen when he came in. Stopping and squatting down Melody shined her light on the object.

"Nokomis found this one," Melody said as Ray stopped and shined his light under the wooden table too.

The object was a mummy and this one looked to be more Chinese in character. The man was sitting with his knees to his chin and arms wrapped around his legs. Ray could only see his right side as his left side was up against the stone wall of the burial chamber. He wore what looked like black pants and a blue kimono. Around his right wrist was a jade bracelet.

"This one is out of place here," Melody told Ray. "As you can see his face is clearly Chinese. The jade bracelet looks to be a Buddhist nenju; prayer beads for a beginner on the path to enlightenment. The kimono is blue silk, usually meaning someone from a high position, but the four-diamond emblem there…," Melody said as she shinned her light on the left breast of the garment, "…doesn't make sense to me. I've never seen or known ancient or modern Chinese to do this."

"Then maybe he isn't Chinese," Ray said turning his face towards Melody. "You said so yourself. This is like the town graveyard. So this man was buried here like the rest."

"But Raymond look," Melody pointed with her left hand, "he wasn't buried at all. He is clearly hiding from something or someone. At least Nokomis thought so."

Ray turned to look closer at the man. Clearly he looked to be frightened, but from what? What had happened all those centuries ago? Ray heard a soft thud and looked to his left to see his wife sitting in the sand. She was trying to hold back her tears. Carefully Ray placed his left hand on her right shoulder and sat down beside her.

"Melody please tell me what happened here," Ray said quietly to her. He needed answers and Melody was holding back.

Melody let a tear fall from her face as she told her husband what had happened.

"Nokomis found this man when she was drawing a map of the burial chamber for me. She is a wonderful drawer you know. He is clearly malnourished, you can see it in his arms, but I knew that he was 'planted' for me to find."

"Planted?" Ray asked.

"Yes. I've come across this twice, this man makes three. Someone in the Chinese government doesn't want the truth to be uncovered and so they 'plant' or 'bury' Chinese people where an expedition is going to be digging. To throw us off of the track so to speak."

"Okay, I understand, but why here? Why not out in the other chamber? Just getting into this chamber is hard enough for me, let alone our friend here who can't even walk, all hunched up over there."

"That's what Nokomis asked too," Melody replied wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her tan shirt.

Melody continued, "After Nokomis drew his picture she climbed under the table to get a closer look."

"What did she find?"

"A sword," Melody said, her voice a little frightened in tone Ray could tell. "Two of them in fact, attached by a red sash of some kind to his left side. Nokomis removed them from the sash and brought them out for me to see. One was longer than the other one and looked to be made of iron."

"Iron?" Ray questioned taking his hand from his wife's shoulder to point behind him. "Over there we have bronze and here…," Ray brought his finger in front of him, "…we have iron. That doesn't make sense."

"It does if the mummy was 'planted'. I told Nokomis that."

"So that's what you were disagreeing over?" Ray asked. "One side of the room you have B.C. artifacts and this side of the room you have…," Ray trailed off and then asked his wife a question.

"What century is he in?" Ray asked pointing a finger at the man under the wooden table.

"Nokomis thinks 16th century and she doesn't think he is from China either."

"Where does she think he is from?"

"Japan, and his swords proved it. Nokomis believed he was a samurai and was probably running from the shogunate. He probably found his way inside here to hide some centuries later, after my Celt man was buried."

"Where are the swords now?" Ray asked, "Can I see them? Maybe Nokomis is right."

"Nokomis took them after I raised my voice to her, telling her that she didn't know what she was talking about."

"Maybe she does Melody. She is a smart kid."

"Raymond she hasn't even graduated from High School yet," Melody replied getting angry, dropping her head into her hands and crying she finished, "And now she never will."

Movement and voices could be heard in the other chamber.

"Professor Stantz, Doctor Stantz, where are you?" a voice called out.

Melody got up from the ground, wiped her eyes, and dusted herself off. She held out a hand to Ray to help him up as she replied to the voice.

"We're coming, we are inside the burial chamber. Give me a minute to cover up the Celt mummy first."

"Please hurry Professor Stantz they found Nokomis's backpack," the voice replied.

Ray looked at his wife as the color drained from her face. Quickly he helped her cover the mummy back up and followed her out of the burial chamber, afraid of what he might find.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nokomis was tired, dirty, thirsty, and hungry. What had possessed her so she could find her way back to the vans that the expedition team had driven here in, she didn't know. It was getting to be dusk and the temperature was starting to drop. Nokomis had her backpack with her, as her mother had taught her, but she didn't have a jacket of any kind inside. Cursing at herself, she stopped walking.

Looking around Nokomis knew that she was lost. "Good and lost in the desert," she told herself. All she could see was rocks and sand in any direction that she looked in. A no-man's land with the only sign of habitation an occasional red willow and shriveled reed that had died years earlier. Looking down at the compass that she held in her hand she waited for the needle to stop. She had positioned the compass housing before she left the Loulan ruins to point her west; back to the Kongque River. From there she would follow the river to the road, where the vans were, that lead to Bayingol. She had left in a hurry, mad at her mother for not believing in her, and thought she had set the compass right.

Looking up from the compass, the setting sun was not in front of her as it should have been. "The sun comes up in the east and sets in the west," she muttered to herself. Her father had taught her this long ago on camping trips. He had been a Boy Scout and had earned his Eagle Scout when he was seventeen. His camping and emergency preparedness badges had been instilled in her at a young age. The setting sun was to her left which meant that she was going in the wrong direction.

"Stupid!" she scolded herself as she quickly took off her backpack and dropped it to the ground. "The swords are made of iron. That's why the direction is off."

Nokomis realized her mistake too late. The samurai's swords that she had taken from the burial chamber were made of iron. They had caused a local magnetic attraction and had disturbed the arrow that was supposed to point to magnetic north. She had been walking since before lunch time and had figured on getting to the vans in time for a late lunch. But that wasn't how her day had gone so far.

Stepping away from the backpack Nokomis watched as the needle of her compass moved. As soon as she was far enough away from the iron swords the needle swung in a different direction and stopped. Nokomis turned to face the setting sun knowing that was west. Her compass housing was off by a couple of degrees, but a couple of degrees meant a lot of distance traveled in the wrong direction.

"Damn!" she cursed walking back to her backpack, "I should have taken the G.P.S. from Cassie."

The two swords in question were sticking out of the top of the backpack. She took and opened the top, placing the swords on the ground as she dug inside for a topographic map of the area. Taking the map out and spreading it on the ground she used the swords as paperweights as she knelt down and consulted the map. Tracing a finger down the Kongque River to where she knew the ruins were, she stopped.

"Okay," she said to herself, "if Mother is here," she placed her finger on a red dot on the map, "and I've been traveling in the wrong direction here," she said going north with her finger, "there should be what?" she questioned the map.

Removing her finger there was another red dot. Consulting the legend she read: "The advance sentry of Loulan".

Looking up and studying the mountains in front of her Nokomis removed the swords and folded up the map.

"So, 'The advance sentry of Loulan' it is," she said out loud placing the map back into her backpack and the compass into the side pocket of her shorts that she was wearing, before rising up from the ground.

Before Nokomis set out she gathered rocks and made an international ground-air emergency code large enough to be seen by an aircraft. In this case a capital 'V' and a directional arrow. Placing the backpack on her back she tucked the two swords into her belt. She knew that whoever saw the marker would know that she required assistance; that was the capital 'V', and was proceeding in this direction; that was the directional arrow. Teetering a little and swallowing the bile that had risen to her mouth Nokomis set out again.

"Don't think about it," she told herself as she walked along the desert's rocky, sandy landscape but her mind keep returning to it.

Nokomis was most likely suffering from heat stroke. Her tiger striped camouflage boonie hat tugged at her throat and she reached up and loosened the chin strap a little. She had run out of water three hours ago but the symptoms had started before then.

Her skin had started showing signs first, becoming red, hot, and dry. Then Nokomis had noticed that her urine was a deep yellow color when she went to the bathroom a couple of hours ago.

"If your urine is concentrated and deeply yellow or amber, you may be dehydrated," her father told her when they were camping one day.

After that she had a throbbing headache. Thinking it had been from her time in the sun, she had taken a couple of aspirin for it. When her muscles had started to cramp up, Nokomis had stopped for a lunch break thinking that would help. Sitting in the high noon-day sun hadn't helped any as she ate an M.R.E. out of her backpack. It hadn't been her favorite 'meals ready to eat' variety; chili with beans, but at least her hunger was gone, at the time.

Shallow breathing and a rapid heartbeat had been next as she removed her purple camp shirt, wearing only her black and white zebra print bra, to try and get cool. She had tried to bring down her rising temperature with an ice pack from her first aid kit that she carried in her backpack.

"You want to apply an ice pack to the person's armpits, groin, neck, and back, because these areas are rich with blood vessels close to the skin. Cooling them may reduce the body's temperature," her father told her once.

Nokomis had taken the ice pack and applied it to her neck, holding it in place with a piece of her shirt that she had ripped off, as she continued on her journey towards where she thought the Kongque River was. She hadn't given much thought about being disorientated because the desert could play tricks on a person's eyes, the most common one being a mirage.

A mirage was a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects. Nokomis had kept her head and refused to run off in the direction of the shimmering water, but know realizing that the iron swords that she carried hadn't helped her situation, by throwing off her compass's readings, she knew that her disorientation was from something else.

Staggering and tripping on a rock, Nokomis fell face first into the desert's rocky floor, her hands taking most of the force. The sun had now set and it would soon be pitch black. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and slid out of her backpack once more. In doing so she noticed that the palm of her left hand had been cut and was now bleeding onto the ground.

"Smooth move," she told herself placing her backpack before her and opening it up with her right hand. She reached inside and grabbed her shirt, wrapping it around her hand, as she went back to search for her flashlight and first aid kit. Nokomis pulled out her headlamp and placed it on the ground next to her. Taking off her boonie hat she stuffed it into her backpack. Carefully with one hand she placed her headlamp upon her head, turning it on as she did so. The desert was becoming dark fast now as she rummaged around for her first aid kit. Pushing aside the test tube vials that held the Celt mummy's muscle tissue samples, she produced the familiar yellow colored first aid kit.

Setting the kit on the ground to her right Nokomis moved her backpack to the left, out of her way. Bringing her hand in front of her, she removed her shirt that she had used to wrap around it. She could see that it was a deep laceration and was bleeding freely. Hopefully she wouldn't have to worry about an infection as she opened the kit and reached for a 4" X 4" sterile gauze dressing and liquid soap.

Cursing a colorful array of words, she had learned from her mom, Nokomis washed the area with the gauze and soap, making sure her scrubbing actions were away from the wound and not towards it. When she was done she applied a disinfectant and covered the area with another sterile 4" X 4" gauze. Grabbing a 2" rolled gauze out of her kit she carefully wound it around her hand and secured the ends with a piece of adhesive tape.

Sighing, Nokomis looked around her. All she saw was darkness and she shivered at the thought of strange creatures out in the night. Her mother had told her about the desert wolves that ran around the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where she was now, on the drive to the ruins the first day that they had arrived in China.

"The wolves are protected for the first time in China, Nokomis," her mother told her.

"Last year, a large number of livestock were killed by wolves in the area, raising concerns among the farmers. Zoologists believe that the wolves' food chain has been disrupted and have pushed the animals to kill the local sheep, cattle, and even camels."

"For the next two years, research is going to be done in the area to discover the number of wolves left in the wild and to find out more about their natural habitat. So if you happen to see one let me know, the local zoologists would be glad for any information about them."

Nokomis shivered again and reached down for her purple camp shirt that lay in the dirt at her feet. She didn't care that it was covered in blood, dirt, and was missing part of the bottom. All she cared about now was that she was getting cold. Carefully pulling it on over her injured hand she tried to button it up and finally gave up. At least she didn't need to worry about the wolves seeking her out as prey because of her injured hand. Her cousin Echo had told her so. She had been told that the wolf's sense of smell was relatively weakly developed when compared to that of some domesticated hunting dogs.

"Because of this, wolves rarely manage to capture hidden hares or birds, although it can easily follow fresh tracks," Echo told her one Christmas Eve when she was over at the Spengler's house. "And its night vision exceeds that of other canines too."

"Great," Nokomis said out loud to herself, "why did you have to remember that!"

Turning to her left, she dug through her opened backpack and withdrew two tan pant legs. Checking to make sure she had the correct leg, Nokomis pulled the bottom of the leg on over her black hiking boots and zippered it into the shorts that she was wearing. When she had first seen the cargo pants that zipped off at the knees to convert to shorts, she had bugged her mother for a pair. Melody had finally given in to her daughter's plea, stating that she could use them when they went on expeditions together. Nokomis pulled the other leg on too and said to herself, "Well you can't sit here forever. Time to get moving."

Nokomis took and dropped the first aid kit back into her opened backpack, zippered it closed, and carefully placed the pack back on. Taking the two swords out of her belt and placing them on the ground, she stood up and retrieved her compass from her side pocket. Walking away a short distance she took a compass reading and then came back to where the iron swords sat. Adjusting for the difference in degrees, Nokomis retrieved the swords and set out into the night.

As she walked she contemplated about what was going to happen to her. She was getting nauseous, another sign of heat stroke, but at least she was out of the sun, she laughed to herself. Her legs and torso were probably sunburned by now too.

"Well at least I got a good tan, the other kids at school would be jealous," she told herself.

School. The dreaded subject around her house that got her parents fighting, first with her and then with each other. Her mother wanted her to finish high school and her father wanted her to get a job if she wasn't going back to school.

Nokomis was smart. Smart enough to know that the typical school setting wasn't for her. When she was with her mother, the other archaeologists had been her teachers. She had learned history first hand along with math, geometry, and biology from each site that her mother dragged her too. A treasure trove of world cultures and languages that most kids would never even have in their lifetime.

When she had gone to school and the teacher was talking about something that Nokomis had experienced with her mother, it had piqued her interest. That was until the teacher had said something that was incorrect and Nokomis had raised her hand to correct the teacher.

The first time it had happened the teacher had told Nokomis that she was misinformed. The second time she had to stay after school and the third time she was sent to the principal's office. Her parents had to come from work to pick her up that time. Eventually, Nokomis had been transferred out of that teacher's classroom, at the insistence of her mother and a few choice swear words too.

But school with its strict rules and lesson plans wasn't for her. After a while Nokomis wished that she could have been raised like her cousin Echo.

Echo had started school like a normal child, at the age of five, but growing up Nokomis never remembered Echo ever talking about any formal schooling with her. It was always Uncle Peter, Ray, or Winston taught me this. Or look at what Helen, Iris, or Grace showed me today.

Nokomis had questioned her father one day about it when he was driving her home from middle school. She had been sent home, again. This time for arguing with the teacher.

"Why didn't Echo go to a real school when she was young like me?" she asked her father.

"She did when she was five," he replied looking both ways for traffic before he turned left out of the school's parking lot.

"What happened?"

"Something bad."

"What?"

"Well," Ray replied as he drove down the street, "Echo started out in school fine but by the second day it was clear to the teacher that Echo didn't belong in the kindergarten class."

"Where did she belong?"

"All over," Ray replied coming to a stop at a red light. Turning to face his daughter in the seat next to him he continued his story. "The school tested Echo to try and place her in a more appropriate class, but that was impossible."

"Why?"

"Well," Ray said turning back around because the light had turned green, "her reading and writing were at a third grade level but her math was fourth. They found that her history was second grade. Geography and art was between forth and fifth because of all the times she went with her mother on tour. She also had one language under her belt, American Sign Language, and was learning another, Spanish."

"What about her science?" Nokomis asked.

Ray snorted, "Where do you think her science was? Her father is the most brilliant man that I know. A genius in his own time."

"High school level?" Nokomis guessed.

"Her father would have loved that," Ray replied. "No, it was tested at a sixth grade level."

"Where I'm at now?"

"Yep."

"So what happened? What could be so bad about being in different grades?"

"It wasn't that Echo was in different grades, it was what happened there at the school itself."

Ray put his car's blinker on and slowed down to stop at the corner. Looking to his left for traffic he continued to talk to his daughter.

"Uncle Egon and Aunt Eden decided to place Echo into the third grade class, that way her peers would only be two years apart in age. Remember Echo's birthday is the day before Christmas and the school's cut off date is November 30th. Echo was really 5¾ when she started Kindergarten here in New York City."

"So what happened Daddy?" Nokomis asked, waiting while her father turned the corner.

"The third grade school placement was fine for a couple of months until three eleven year old boys from the fifth grade cornered Echo one day after lunch."

"Did they bully her?"

"I wish they would have Nokomis. You see they had just gotten out of a class about puberty and becoming a teenager. The class covered topics about reproduction, the development of sexual feelings, and the importance of making healthy decisions about sex as they grew older. So the three boys were eager to find a female to see what all the hype was about."

"Did they try to have sex with Echo?" Nokomis asked shocked that she hadn't heard about this until now.

"Thank the Lord no," Ray said wiping a tear away from his left eye. "They did fondle or grope her though, grabbing her buttocks and thighs. Another student passing by saw them and alerted a teacher, putting a stop to it before the boys went any further."

"What about Echo? Was she okay afterwards?"

"Uncle Egon was fuming mad when he was called. We were at the firehouse when it happened. I have only heard Egon curse twice before in his lifetime, but that day he would have put your mother to shame."

Ray pulled into the driveway of their house and turned off the car's ignition. Turning to face his daughter Ray completed the story.

"Nokomis I never want to relive that day for as long as I live. Eden was out of town on tour, she would be back the next day, so I had to drive Egon down to the school. What I saw made me cry. I was allowed into the nurse's station with Egon to find Echo curled up into a fetal position on a cot, in the corner, crying her heart out. I saw your Uncle Egon tenderly take his daughter into his arms and rock her back and forth, telling her she was safe now. Echo fell asleep in her father's loving arms as he cried for a good half hour sitting there on the cot."

"Eden arrived the next day to find her daughter and husband at the firehouse. I sat with Echo while Egon took his wife next door to tell her what happened. They never filed charges against the school or the boys, but the Spengler's did pull Echo out of school that day. She never set foot into any kind of public schooling until she started Juilliard. The whole family went to counseling for a year with Doctor Charlie Levine. That is one of the reasons that Echo doesn't want anything to do with boys right now."

Nokomis stopped walking, tears falling from her face. She remembered that the next day her mother had taken her out of the country on another expedition. She hadn't been there when Echo had fallen down a hole, broke her leg, and ended up in a coma.

Nokomis felt awful right now. She remembered her father telling her over the phone that Echo had died on the operating room table before the doctor had gotten her heart started again. Nokomis felt as if she had let Echo down, all these years later, for not being there. She had never been there for anything that her cousin did. She was always with her mother, on an expedition. She felt like dying right now. Her legs couldn't go any further and Nokomis sat down in the dirt looking up at the full moon above her. Pointing her headlamp down onto her left wrist she read her watch. It was five minutes to midnight.

Shrugging off her backpack for the last time, Nokomis let her head rest on it as she laid down and closed her eyes. She had seen the blood seeping through the bandage of her left hand. Her hand was also throbbing now too. She didn't want to be here anymore. She felt that she had caused enough problems for her parents. They always fought over her. She had known that this might happen when she had left the safety of the expedition. It was as good a time as any to die. Her mother would find her mummified body at some point in time. Another victim of the never ending circle of life here in the desert.

Suddenly a wind started whipping her hair around her head. Thinking it was a dust storm, Nokomis opened her eyes and sat up, removing the iron swords from her side as she did so. Looking around her with her headlamp she couldn't see any dust, but then again her batteries were dying. Yet something was blowing her hair.

Nokomis slowly stood up and turned around as the light on her headlamp finally went out. Before her was light of some kind. A round glimmering picture of another place. She could see that the sun was high in the sky and the landscape was green like a forest. There was also someone sitting on the ground. A man who had on black pants and a blue top. Slowly the man got up and took a step towards her.

"Go to him," she heard a voice say to her.

Turing to her left, Nokomis saw her Aunt Jean dressed in a white straight gown that hung off of one shoulder. Dropping her compass that she held in her right hand, Nokomis took a step backwards, frightened. Her Aunt Jean had died years ago and yet here she stood next to her.

"Don't be afraid Nokomis. Go to him," Aunt Jean said again.

She had heard stories about the world beyond this one. Her father, Uncle Egon and even her cousin Echo had all died and come back. Each with their own story about the hereafter. Nokomis turned away from her aunt to look back at the round glimmering picture before her. It looked to be a ring or portal of some kind to her.

"This must be what it is like to die," Nokomis thought to herself as she walked towards the portal and the man who held his hand out to her.

Slowly removing her headlamp from her head, she let it drop to the desert floor as she walked towards her afterlife.

"He is the savior for all mankind," Nokomis heard her Aunt Jean say to her.

Nokomis stopped before she stepped through the portal and turned to face her aunt.

"Can you give my parents a message?" she asked.

"Yes," Aunt Jean answered.

"Tell Daddy and Mom that I love them," Nokomis said, "and that they don't have to fight over me any longer."

Nokomis turned back to face the portal and lovely world that awaited her. A beautiful world where she was sure there was no more pain. Her tired body wanted to be there in that place and she reached into the portal and took the man's hand. He smiled at her and held her hand tight. Nokomis smiled back and stepping through the portal she vanished.

All that was left was a full moon that shown down on two iron swords and one orange backpack in the middle of the desert.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Oh my…,"

"Echo Eddington Spengler!" her father cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

Echo held her tongue but she was still mad. When she had packed for her upcoming trip to Wyoming with her father and Daniel, she had forgotten one of the most important things in her life.

Picking up her sleeping bag from the ground she shook it at her father.

"Well I'm allowed to curse when this happens," she told her father.

Egon looked at the sleeping bag and then at this daughter's pajama bottoms. Both had blood on them and he knew what had happened. Echo had miscalculated her time.

"Maybe Dana has some," he said pointing a finger at the sleeping bag.

Echo snorted, "Where have you been lately Father? Dana's been done with this nonsense for awhile now."

"Okay," Egon said taking the sleeping bag from her, "what about Kylie?"

"Are you kidding? Kylie just got done at Grandma and Grandpa Parnell's house. She didn't bring any with her."

"Is there anything in your med kit that you can use?" Egon asked as he rolled the sleeping bag up into a ball.

"I guess I could use the pressure bandage if I cut it up into strips, but that's not what its purpose is," Echo stated removing her pajama bottoms.

"I don't think you have much of a choice sweetheart," Egon replied as he took the pajama bottoms that she handed to him. "It's not like I can run around the corner to the drug store you know."

"I know," Echo sighed, "I just wish I had calculated better."

"Your stressed Echo," Egon said, "your classes at Columbia had you so wound up that no one wanted to be around you, including Daniel and me. That's why I asked Mr. and Mrs. Parnell if we could come out to see them when your classes were done."

"You're right of course," Echo said as she bent down to dig through her saddle bag. "This last semester was a killer."

"But at least your internship is done. You just have to do your residency now."

Echo pulled out a bath towel from the saddlebag and sat down on it. Looking up at her father she knew she needed to tell him the truth.

"Father I…," Echo started to say before she was interrupted.

"Egon, Echo, is everything okay in here?" a voice said as a hand pulled back the flap of the tent that they were in. "I could hear you both down by Owl Creek."

"Kane, its Echo," Egon said holding up her bloody pajama bottoms. "She forgot to pack some personal items."

Kane Parnell laughed and walked into the tent. He was a tall man, six feet in height, with short cut white hair and a white mustache. He was dressed in his park ranger's outfit complete with hat and name tag.

"Here," Kane said handing Echo a box of tampons, "your Grandma Parnell thought you would need these."

"How did she know? Sixth sense?" Egon asked Kane.

"No," Kane replied, "woman's intuition. I've lived with that woman since we were eighteen years old. I gave up long ago with trying to figure her out. Just ask my kids."

"Thank you Grandpa," Echo said taking the box from him, "but I still need to clean up."

"Go down by Owl Creek," Kane said offering her a hand so she could get up from the ground. "There are some bushes there and the water is waist deep."

"You had better hurry before the rest of the camp gets up," Egon stated to her.

"Or everyone will know your personal business," Kane finished.

"Everyone is going to know my personal business," Echo replied pointing to her sleeping bag and pajama bottoms that Egon held in his hands.

"I'll tell them I cut myself shaving," Egon replied smiling at her.

"And what, you just happened to use my pajama bottoms as a towel?" Echo teased back. "It will never fly."

"Go on you whipper-snapper," Kane said playfully raising a foot to Echo's buttocks, but never actually touching them, "GET!"

"Alright, alright," Echo replied grabbing a change of clothes, some soap, and wrapping the bath towel around her waist, "I'm gone already!"

As soon as Echo left the tent, Kane turned towards Egon.

"Come on, let's get these washed before the others get up. I'll place them on the back of the pack horses to dry as we ride today," Kane said holding the tent flap open for Egon to pass through.

"Good idea," Egon said walking out of the tent and following Kane up the creek instead of down where his daughter had gone. "I don't want anyone to know."

"Their bound to find out sooner or later Egon," Kane stated walking next to him.

"Yeah, but if I can just keep Sandy and Harry from finding out I'm good."

Kane laughed, "How old are those twins now?"

"Just turned fifteen."

"Fifteen huh," Kane said as they neared the creek. "They know by now, if not from their parents then from their peers. I'm betting on the second one."

"You would lose then," Egon told Kane as he stopped before the creek and handed off the sleeping bag to him.

"Why?"

"You don't know Janine."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Echo was fuming as she walked in her bare feet down to Owl Creek. How could she have forgotten the most important thing in her suitcase? She really was stressed and she knew it. Her teaching schedule and her classes that she was taking had finally come to an end. Columbia University was on summer break and Echo needed to relax. That was why they were here, in the middle of nowhere, in Grand Teton National Park on Owl Canyon trail.

They had gotten started late in the day, ten o'clock, and had encountered problems along the way. Echo had ridden her Grandpa's horses before when she was growing up, but some of the others had not. Sandy had been game to try and learn, even though he had never been on a horse before. His brother Harry however was like his father, scared. Harry was two minutes younger than his brother and always preferred to take the "wait and see" approach. That was why Grandpa Parnell had insisted on riding lessons in the corral before they set out the following day.

Uncle Peter, Aunt Dana, and her cousin Oscar had taken it all in stride, quickly learning what to do to make the horse go forward, backward, and to each side. Grandpa Parnell had assigned "Bomb Proof" horses to them. These were horses that if you were to set off a so called 'bomb' at their feet they wouldn't move.

The same went for Eduardo and his wife Kylie, as well as Sandy, Harry, and her father. Daniel had gotten a newly 'green broke' horse. Echo didn't know that Daniel knew how to ride. He had never told her. Not only did he know how to ride he rode well, putting the old trail horse he was on through a dressage pattern that he had ridden when he was a teenager. Grandpa Parnell rode his favorite bay horse, Hawkeye and she had gotten her Grandma's blue roan mare.

Grandma Parnell wasn't feeling well when the group had left Flagg Ranch Resort where her Grandparents lived. Echo remembered the odd way that Grandma Parnell held onto her husband before Kane passionately kissed her and climbed upon his steed.

Grandma Parnell hadn't been the only one that didn't make the trip. The Zeddemore's were not with the group as well. Winston had called Echo's father, when they were on their way to the airport. Iris had been taken to the hospital the night before they were to leave. Winston thought it best that he and his daughter stay behind by Iris's side. Egon had agreed and told Winston to call him when he knew what was going on.

When the party had left Flagg Ranch Resort all went well at first until Harry had fallen off of his horse at Glade Creek Trailhead. Sitting in the dirt crying, Harry's horse stood still watching the young teenage boy. Before Kane could get off his horse to help, the old gelding that Harry had been riding stepped forward and lowered his head to the ground. Reaching out and nudging Harry in the back, the horse wondered why his rider wasn't getting back up. Harry raised a hand and tried to shoo off the horse, wanting to be left alone. The gelding took Harry's gesture as one that he wanted to play. The horse had learned this trick from his old owner.

Extending his head towards Harry, the gelding carefully placed his mouth on Harry's wide brimmed hat that the boy wore upon his head, and took it in his teeth, pulling it off Harry's head.

"Hey!" shouted Harry as he stood up and went after the gelding who was trotting away with the hat held proudly in his mouth.

Kane was laughing so hard he couldn't yell out to Harry not to chase the gelding down the dirt road. The gelding eventually stopped and turned around to wait for Harry to catch up. Tossing the hat into the air and watching it fall to the ground, the gelding stood his ground pawing the dirt waiting for his rider to reach him.

Coming to a stop before the horse, Harry reached down to grab his hat but was beaten to it by the gelding. The horse reached out and grabbed the hat in his teeth, taking off at a gallop back down the road the way he had come.

Repeating his earlier trick the gelding stopped, turned around, and tossed the hat into the air, whinnying to Harry to hurry up and try to catch him.

Harry had started out being angry at his mount and then had gone to being amused at the way the horse was playing with him. Trying to sneak up on the gelding Harry crouched down to make a grab for his hat but he was too late again.

The gelding was quicker and snatched up the hat to run away from Harry back the other way down the dirt road. Kane couldn't help himself as he leaned over Hawkeye's neck laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes. Kane had forgotten that the gelding was a trick horse. Daniel watched Kane laughing on his horse before he turned and looked towards Harry and the gelding. Watching the red roan mustang with a white blaze and three white stockings, Daniel thought that the horse looked familiar. Daniel watched as once again the gelding snatched the hat away from Harry and ran off down the road. Something was all too familiar about the scene. As Daniel watched he knew that this was a trick of engagement.

When Daniel was young he had watched his father teach the horses in his care tricks. A trick of engagement involved retrieving an object such as a Frisbee, flag, or cap. He had learned that the horse must willingly engage in the activity with his father. A horse can not be forced to do this trick, but rather the horse must choose to do the trick.

"By teaching a horse this simple trick," his father said to Daniel one day, "I can enhance their personality and create a 'can do' attitude that develops into a 'want to do' work ethic."

"That was it," Daniel thought to himself, as he watched the gelding rush past Harry yet again with the hat held proudly in his mouth.

Stopping at the other end of the dirt road, the gelding reared up and tossed the hat into the air one more time. This time the gelding did something different. Instead of pawing at the ground he sat down on his haunches, tossing his head up and down. Daniel now knew who the horse was and turned to Kane.

"Ranger Parnell is that Mr. Turvey's old gelding?" Daniel questioned the laughing man.

Kane couldn't speak, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, as he nodded his head yes. Daniel spurred his horse forward towards the dirt road, passing the others in the group as he did so. Reaching the end of the trail Daniel brought his horse to a stop.

"Harry," Daniel shouted, "sit down!"

Harry stopped chasing the gelding and looked towards Daniel. He was getting nowhere with what he was doing so Harry did what Daniel said. Harry sat down on the ground a few feet away from the gelding, who was also sitting on the ground too. Daniel smiled as he saw the red roan gelding get to his feet and pick up Harry's hat in his teeth. Walking over to the teenage boy, the gelding carefully placed the hat back on Harry's head and bent his left front knee to bow to him.

"You can get up now Harry," Daniel said as he dismounted and led his horse over to where the teenage boy was.

"How did you know he would do that?" Harry questioned Daniel as he got up off the ground.

"I have seen this horse before when I was a little older than you are now," Daniel replied as he watched the gelding rise up from his bow. "He belonged to a man named Mr. Turvey but I don't know how Ranger Parnell ended up with him."

Harry walked towards the gelding who now stood still so that his rider could mount him. As Daniel held the gelding's bridle Harry faced slightly forward and gathered both reins in his left hand, turning the left stirrup half a turn counter-clockwise with his right hand. Placing his left foot into the stirrup, Harry balanced on his right leg and placed his right hand onto the saddle horn. Harry used his right leg to push up off the ground with and lifted himself up and over the cantle of the saddle. Being careful to lift his leg high enough not to kick the gelding in the haunches, Harry settled gently into the saddle. Gathering the gelding's reins Harry waited while Daniel mounted his horse and then rode next to him back to the group.

Echo smiled to herself, remembering the interaction between Daniel and Harry, as she scrambled down the steep drop to the creek. Stopping and placing her change of clothes and soap on a nearby rock Echo undressed. She unwrapped the towel at her waist and placed it on top of her clothes. Echo then removed her pink tank top and let it fall to the ground. Leaving her underwear on she grabbed the soap and stepped into Owl Creek, immediately knowing how Daniel had felt when he had been tossed into the same creek by his mount.

The lukewarm water got colder the further in she went, but Echo needed to be in the deepest part to take her bath. Trying not to think about the water's temperature, she took off her underwear and tossed it back towards shore. Daniel had been cold too when he had picked himself up from the creek's floor, drenched from head to toe.

Daniel's newly 'green broke' horse had never crossed water before and had bucked his way across the creek, depositing poor Daniel into the creek's winter run off. Daniel wasn't hurt when she checked him over, but Grandpa Parnell had called it a day and had set up camp early.

Campfires were prohibited in the backcountry Echo knew as she stopped in the deepest part of the stream, but Grandpa had made an exception for shivering Daniel. Echo wondered if he would make an exception with her too and have a fire going when she got back to camp.

Daniel had stripped down to his underwear, embarrassed that she had seen him this way, as her Grandpa brought Daniel a wool blanket to wrap around his body.

Sitting next to Daniel by the campfire, as the sun slowly set, Echo was suddenly aware that he was staring at her. Turning her face to her left she looked into Daniel's pale blue eyes.

"What?" she asked, wondering what was troubling him.

"Nothing," Daniel said smiling at her, "it's just that the light from the fire makes you look more beautiful."

Echo washed the top half of her body as she thought back over her years with Daniel.

She had meet Daniel when she was eighteen years old in New York City. He was the guest violinist at the time when the New York Philharmonics was doing a free concert in Central Park. Echo hadn't been interested in looking for a boyfriend at the time. She had been only too happy to sit next to her Aunt Dana, in the second cello's chair, and play with her.

Echo remembered introducing Daniel to her father when the practice was done but she hadn't put any thought into a future with him outside of music. But now they had been together for four years in Echo's mind. In Daniel's mind he called it 'courting'.

According to Daniel 'courtship' takes the position that two people have no physical contact at all until marriage. Daniel told her that courtship allows for the two people to truly get to know each other in a more platonic setting without the pressures of physical intimacy or emotions clouding their view. Echo had been fine for the first couple of years that they were together, but now she wanted more. She wished that Daniel would hold her hand or kiss her sometimes and she came away disappointed when he didn't.

As Echo washed her lower body, which was underwater, she thought back to all the times she had seen her father and mother together. She remembered the happy times when her mother was pregnant and the sad times when her mother lost the child that she carried. Her father had always held her mother close during those times, telling her that he loved her. Echo wondered if Daniel would do the same things like her father had done for her mother.

"Echo," a voice called out above the creek's babbling sound.

"Down here in the creek Father," Echo called back believing that the voice belonged to him.

Turning around to face the shore Echo squinted her eyes. She had left her glasses in the tent when she left for Owl Creek. She could see things clearly up close but not far away. Echo saw that it wasn't her father standing there on the top of the slope looking down at her. Suddenly realizing that she was showing off her breasts to the stranger, Echo took a step backwards to drop her upper body down below water level and tripped on the mossy rocks. As she fell backwards into Owl Creek her scream was matched by the stranger's own standing on the bank. The last thing Echo remembered was being submerged under the water's flow.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Echo tried not to panic as her head went under the water, but failed as she hit her head on the rocky bottom of Owl Creek. She let out a gasp of pain and ended up swallowing water instead. Trying to roll over to push herself up with her hands, Echo felt herself moving further down the creek instead. Coughing didn't help her situation as her head was still under the water. Right then and there it occurred to Echo that she was drowning. She was cutting off her body of the precious oxygen that she needed. Her body recognized that it was in immediate danger and began to shut down various functions in an attempt to conserve energy. In her brain, this shutdown was going to lead to a loss of consciousness on her part. Trying to stay awake Echo felt something grab her right leg and hold tight.

Knowing that she needed to get to the surface for air before brain damage and irrecoverable death occurred, Echo kicked out at whatever was holding her tight. To her relief it let go as she reached out with her hands to find the bottom of the creek. Her hand found something else, as she flailed around in the water. Something grabbed her hand as she gasped for air, swallowing more water. Echo felt her lungs trying to reject the water that she had just swallowed as she heard a voice call her name. She knew she was dying and wondered if her mother had come to take her home. Whatever had grabbed her hand now reached down for her waist as blackness enveloped her mind. She let what she thought was her mother raise her up from the water's cold grip of death as she fell unconscious.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

Daniel had woken up late that morning still recovering from his drench in the creek, courtesy of his horse yesterday. Even Sandy and Harry, who shared the tent with him, had failed to rouse him from his slumber. Peter had told the twins to let Daniel sleep until seven and then if he wasn't awake he would do something about it.

Everyone else was up by five thirty that morning but Daniel had gotten up at six instead. Quickly dressing, he had made his way out of his tent and down to where the group was eating breakfast already. Their camp was in a great spot, open to the canyon on one side and wooded on the other. He was treated to the sounds of an elk bugling as it meandered down the canyon. Walking up to the others Daniel noticed that Egon, Echo, and Ranger Parnell weren't there. He wanted to ask Kane about the gelding from yesterday.

"Peter," Daniel asked, in a thick Scottish accent, as he stretched his arms above his head, "do you know where Ranger Parnell is? I want to ask him about that red roan gelding."

"Oh, I saw him walking down to Owl Creek with Egon early this morning," Peter replied sipping a mug of coffee with both hands.

"They probably went for more water," Dana replied eating French toast from her plate. "I believe Echo went with them. They'll be back soon."

"Well if they don't come back soon there is going to be more breakfast for me," Eduardo replied.

"That's not very nice Honey," Kylie said as she elbowed her husband in the ribs.

"What?" Eduardo retorted. "I'm a growing boy!"

"You stopped growing up years ago. Now you are only growing rounder and you know I don't like that," Kylie replied back.

Daniel smiled at the easy way that Eduardo and Kylie teased each other, just like Echo and her father. He found it hard to tease Echo when he was with her. First off he didn't know how. Growing up his family had always been serious with each other. Daniel wished that he could be more like the people he saw before him now. Realizing that he was wasting time standing around, he walked away from the group towards Owl Creek.

"I'm going down to Owl Creek to try to find Ranger Parnell," Daniel told Peter.

"Good luck," Dana replied.

Egon had finished washing his daughter's pajama bottoms and was walking back with Kane. Coming into camp from the north, Egon could see that the others were up and having breakfast down by where the campfire had been yesterday. He was glad that Kane and him didn't have to pass them to hang Echo's pajama bottoms and sleeping bag up on a makeshift clothes line that Kane hung between two trees behind Egon's tent. As Kane was spreading out the sleeping bag he told Egon to go down and join the others for breakfast.

Egon thanked Kane and proceeded down towards the others. As he did so he caught sight of Daniel walking away from the group. As Egon came to where the group sat, Daniel was disappearing from sight.

"Where is Daniel going?" Egon asked.

Peter turned around to see Daniel's back disappear from view.

"Oh," Peter replied turning around to face Egon, "he went to look for Ranger Parnell."

"We thought you were with Ranger Parnell and Echo down by the creek getting water," Dana replied.

"No," Egon replied, "I was with Kane. Echo went off by herself to the creek."

"Why?" Eduardo asked.

Egon thought about how best to tell the group what had happened and settled for a half truth.

"She needed to take a bath," Egon told Eduardo, a little concerned that Daniel was going to stumble upon Echo without any clothes on.

"Oh," Eduardo answered, "why?"

Dana and Kylie smiled at each other. They knew what Egon was trying to say without actually saying it. As women they had been down that road before, just as Echo was now.

"If you don't know why," Kylie told her husband, "then we shouldn't be trying for a child."

Eduardo regarded what his wife had told him and then realization dawned on his face.

"OH!" Eduardo said now getting the point that Egon was trying to make, "She NEEDED to take a bath."

"I still don't get what you are talking about," Peter said to Dana.

"I'll explain it later Peter," Dana replied, "I'm sure Egon doesn't want Sandy and Harry to know what is going on."

"You're correct Dana," Egon replied, "Where are those boys anyways?"

"They went to look for the horses," Kylie replied as Ranger Parnell walked up to the group.

"They only have to whistle for Hawkeye," Kane replied stopping next to Egon. "He knows to gather the others and bring them here."

"Did you teach him to do that?" Dana asked as she noticed Egon start to leave the group.

"Yes," Kane replied watching Egon walk away, "Even though the horses have hobbles on they still can get pretty far at night. Hawkeye knows my call for him in the morning on trail rides. His upbringing of being a stallion of a mustang herd helps me. He will gather the other horses together and herd them back to me," Kane said as he broke off talking to Dana.

Kane watched as Egon continued down the hill. "I wonder where Egon is going?" he muttered to himself as he followed Egon down the hill that led to Owl Creek.

Daniel followed the trail from yesterday afternoon that led to the Owl Creek crossing, calling out for Ranger Parnell, Egon, and Echo as he went. He knew that the crossing was a fairly steep drop to creek level with a corresponding climb on the other side. His horse had made it down the steep embankment but had bulked at the water. Spurring his bay horse forward the animal had responded by bucking. Daniel held on and rode through the animal's wild bucking until the horse had slipped on the mossy, rocky bottom and fell sideways into the water. Not wanting to be trapped under the horse, Daniel had released his legs from the stirrups and fell forward. But in doing so Daniel had ended up drenched as his horse got up and made a mad dash for the other end of the creek.

Ranger Parnell had gone after the 'green broke' horse and had left Daniel in Echo's care. After all Echo was a fully-fledged registered paramedic of New York City as well as New Jersey. Echo had declared him fit to ride again after she had examined him. A little too closely for Daniel's taste, but he didn't say anything because there were others around.

For the past year Daniel knew that Echo wanted more from him. She had hinted at such but Daniel's upbringing wouldn't allow it. "Or is it that you don't want to do it with me," Echo had told him one day. Daniel called out Ranger Parnell's name as he thought about the conversation that he had had with Echo.

Daniel had been brought up to 'court' a girl that he wanted to marry. Both of Daniel's older brothers had 'courted' their wives when he was growing up. Daniel was the youngest of nine children that had been born to his parents in Scotland on the Island of Mull. Daniel had six older sisters to whom he looked up to for womanly advice. He had asked for his sister's help after his so-called conversation with Echo that day.

Echo was overworked, stressed, and outright mad that day he remembered. She had come home from the university to find him waiting for her. They had to practice for their upcoming concert at NJPAC (New Jersey Performing Arts Center). Putting on her best face she had practiced with Daniel until she started picking up the tempo in Handel-Halvorsen's Passacaglia duo for violin and cello. It had been towards the end of the piece in measure seventy-seven Daniel remembered. Echo went first with her sixteenth notes and he was to follow suit. When they had practiced together Echo would smile at him and pick up the tempo just a bit on each set of sixteenth notes that she played, until they went into a new tempo in the next movement of the piece. They would then settle into the molto energico tempo which was slower than the previous sixteenth note passage.

But Echo had different ideas that night. When she went to pick up the tempo, Echo's smile had been a scowl of disapproval instead of her usual beautiful face that he was used to seeing. During the molto energico part Echo didn't even slow down or settle into the tempo that they had agreed upon. Daniel knew something was wrong when at the end of the piece where the tempo was marked allegro con fuoco; which meant fast, quickly and bright with fire, Echo took the meaning literally. She took the double stop notes slowly at first, as it was written, to gradually increase her speed to well over the time marked on the music. Daniel had tried his best to keep up and had failed as Echo drew her bow across her open D and G strings.

"What's wrong with you!" she spat at Daniel, the notes hardly having time to die out.

"Me?" Daniel replied bringing his violin down from his chin, "You're the one who was racing through that last part," he replied pointing his bow at her.

"Well if you want me to set the tempo you had better keep up!" Echo replied, batting Daniel's bow away with her own, as she stood up from her chair.

Daniel held his tongue, wanting to say something that he would only regret later, as Echo continued on her rampage. Watching her step off of the platform she carried her cello to the door of her father's workroom.

"Look Daniel," Echo spoke loudly to him, "if you don't like playing with me find someone else!"

Daniel watched as Echo opened the door and stormed through it. He followed her to the stairs that led to the first floor of her parent's house.

"Echo wait," Daniel called to her, not wanting this to be the way that she left off practicing with him.

"Wait," she replied stopping and turning around at the bottom of the stairs, "for what?! How long am I supposed to wait for you to make a move?!"

"Echo what are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?! You are the one who asked me if you could 'court' me remember? And now you don't know what I'm talking about?! Where did you grow up, under a rock?"

Echo sighed and brought her voice down a notch. She knew that her father would have some words with her if she kept up with what she was doing. "Daniel," she said, "we have been together for three years now and you still won't even hold my hand or kiss me for that matter. Isn't that what 'courting' is all about?"

Daniel called out Egon's name as he remembered how he had told Echo all about what courting a woman meant to him. Echo hadn't really appreciated being told that he wasn't going to have any physical intimacy or touching of any kind with her, and she had replied in kind.

"Is that what you truly believe," Echo had told him as she turned away and started up the stairs, "Or is it that you don't want to do it with me?"

Daniel had been taken back by her reply and had talked to his sister that night on the phone about it. Her advice had been to apologize to Echo for making her think that she was going to be having a physical relationship with him and ask for her forgiveness. If Echo wanted more from him than Daniel was willing to give, then there were two things that he could do his sister told him. One: let her go and move on with his life or Two: marry her.

Daniel had apologized to Echo the next day and she had forgiven him. Daniel somehow thought that her forgiving him had something to do with her father but had welcomed the chance to still be in Echo's life. He knew that there was something brewing inside him besides his admiration for her. He just couldn't put his finger on it. That was until he had fallen in the creek and had to sit by the campfire with a wool blanket wrapped around him. Echo had stayed by his side as he sat watching her in the dying light.

Echo was a beautiful woman who had just turned twenty-three years old that last Christmas Eve. Her long, medium brown colored hair hung down to the middle of her back as she stared into the fire. Her fine boned face was slightly turned away from him, as she sat lost in thought.

"Echo," Daniel called out now nearing the creek, wondering where the trio had gone.

Daniel remembered Echo turning towards him, as they sat by the campfire.

"What?" she had asked him.

"Nothing," Daniel had said smiling at her, "it's just that the light from the fire makes you look more beautiful."

And he had been right. Echo was beautiful to him and he believed that he was falling in love.

"Down here in the creek Father," Echo's voice called back to him.

Daniel quickened his pace. Echo had called him Father. Maybe she didn't hear him and thought she was talking to her father. Daniel knew that Owl Creek could be pretty loud in the middle of it. He had learned that first hand when he had been in the water there. He also knew that the middle of the creek was waist deep, extremely slippery, and swift. Coming over the top of the rise Daniel stopped, shocked at what he saw.

A woman was standing in the water. The lower half of her waist was below water level, so that all he could see was her back. She looked vaguely familiar too, as Daniel stared at her naked upper body as she turned to face him. A couple of things happened to Daniel all at once. The first was that as the woman turned around and squinted her eyes up at him, he knew who she was. He was staring at Echo. She had a beautiful set of breasts with what looked to be a green bird with a long tail that was tattooed to her left breast. The second thing was that Daniel suddenly realized that he wanted her and then scolded himself for such a thought. As he watched Echo, unable to take his eyes from her, he saw her take a step backwards and trip. Daniel demised that she had thought that he was someone else, as he rushed down the steep incline towards the creek.

Daniel's scream was matched by her own, as he watched Echo fall backwards into Owl Creek and her body start to tumble downstream with the current.

"Echo!" Daniel screamed rushing into the creek.

Splashing water as he went, Daniel made a mad dash for her body that was flailing around underwater.

"I did this. I did this," Daniel repeated over and over to himself as he slipped and slid on the rocky, mossy bottom after Echo. Making a grab for her submerged body he missed at first, but he caught a hold of her leg the second time. Echo kicked away from him clearly not knowing that he was trying to help.

"Echo, it's Daniel!" he screamed at her, unaware if she could hear him or not. "Don't fight me!"

Daniel made another grab for her and came up with her right hand. This he held tightly, as he bent down into the water and reached for Echo's waist. She wasn't fighting him as much as he stood waist deep in the water. Holding onto her waist, Daniel lifted her up and out of the water. Raising Echo up and holding her against his chest, he stared at her wet, dripping, matted hair that hung in her face. At that moment Daniel noticed that Echo wasn't breathing, as he held her lifeless body. His heart sank in his chest. He was too late.

"Turn her over!" someone was yelling at him.

Looking towards shore, Daniel saw Ranger Parnell standing on the top of the steep slope with his hands cupped around his mouth. Professor Spengler was splashing his way towards him as Ranger Parnell yelled again at Daniel.

"Turn her over!"

Daniel looked back into Echo's face that was slowly turning blue in color around her lips. Why would they want him to turn her over? She was gone, dead, and it was his fault. Daniel turned and walked slowly back to shore with Echo held tightly in his arms.

Professor Spengler appeared before Daniel and tried to take Echo's lifeless body away from him.

"NO!" he cried, trying to walk around Egon, with Echo clutched tightly against his body. "She's dead and it's my fault Professor."

"Daniel," Egon spoke gently to the grieving man, "she may not be dead. Echo may have swallowed water and we have to get it out of her lungs. Please Daniel," Egon pleaded following him towards the shore, "help me. We need to turn her over."

Now Ranger Parnell stood before Daniel blocking his way. Daniel stopped moving. He had a choice to make. He could believe that Echo was dead and continue to carry her body back towards shore or he could believe Professor Spengler.

Daniel wanted very much for Echo to be alive and silently handed her body off to Ranger Parnell. Daniel watched as Professor Spengler and Ranger Parnell carefully turned Echo's body upside down and hurried towards the shore. Echo's wet, matted hair hung down around her face as Ranger Parnell carried her the last couple of feet towards the bank with Professor Spengler carefully pounding on her back.

Without knowing that he was moving, Daniel's feet carried him forward until he fell onto his knees next to Echo's left side. He watched Ranger Parnell and Professor Spengler give the woman he finally realized that he loved, artificial respiration.

Daniel remembered back to the first time he had seen Echo. He had been asked to be the soloist for the New York Philharmonics Orchestra. Leaving his native Scotland, he had flown overnight to New York City where he had been picked up and placed in a hotel for the week. Finding his way to Central Park the next day had been an adventure. He was twenty-one years old at the time and had never left his native homeland. An extremely handsome man, with pale blue eyes and light brown colored hair that he wore in a mullet style, the women that Daniel met couldn't help but fall in love over him.

Everywhere he went, he saw girls following him and it made him feel uncomfortable. That was until he had met Mrs. Dana Barrett-Venkman and her niece, as Dana had introduced Echo to him as. They had been polite and had given him the space that he needed without hanging on his every move, as some of the other women in the orchestra were doing. Daniel had been amazed to find out that Echo was only eighteen at the time, although she looked older and was a graduate of Juilliard to boot.

He immediately liked this young girl and wanted to get to know her better. At the end of practice, Daniel had been at a loss of where to go to find his hotel. Echo had seen this and had come over with her father to help him read the subway map.

Setting him straight Daniel went away happy, but now that same girl lie before him. A beautiful young woman that he had seen grow up before his eyes. Someone who he had started out liking very much, to admiring, and now loving.

Daniel's face fell towards the ground as Ranger Parnell and Professor Spengler continued to labor over Echo's lifeless, naked, beautiful body. He wanted them to leave her alone. She had suffered enough in her lifetime. Her mother taken from her when she was nine. Echo's own death when she was nineteen, only to be revived to live in a coma for a week. Now here she was, dead once again, with two people trying to bring her back yet again. Why? How long would she have to live in a coma for now? A week. Two. Or maybe more.

Daniel felt that Ranger Parnell and Professor Spengler had been working on Echo for hours when in reality it had only been a couple of seconds. Daniel raised his head and reached out to place a hand on Professor Spengler's arm. He wanted Egon to stop what he was doing and let his daughter go peacefully. As Daniel neared Professor Spengler's arm he saw Ranger Parnell roll Echo onto her left side as she spat out water and took a breath.

"Thank the Lord," Ranger Parnell said as Professor Spengler took Echo's wet, matted hair and removed it from her face.

Daniel took his hand back and watched as he saw Ranger Parnell get up and return with a bath towel. Slowly Ranger Parnell started to dry Echo's body off, as Professor Spengler kept watch of her breathing. Every so often Echo would cough up more water but she was alive. His Echo was alive!

Daniel reached out and placed his hand onto the bath towel that Ranger Parnell was using. Kane looked into Daniel's wet eyes.

"It's my fault Ranger Parnell," Daniel said trying to apologize for his actions. "I startled Echo and she fell backwards into the creek Professor Spengler," Daniel said as he turned his face towards Egon.

"Daniel," Professor Spengler said to him, placing his left hand onto Daniel's right shoulder. "Given what we all just went through, I think you can call me Egon from now on."

Daniel nodded his head as he heard Ranger Parnell speak to him.

"You can call me Kane," he told Daniel.

The three men sat silently as Daniel realized that they had now formed a bond over the woman that each man loved in their own special way. A Grandfather's love, a Father's love, and now his newly found love for Echo.

All three men heard Echo's soft croaky voice.

"Just great," she quietly said, "who's idea was it to roll my body in the dirt? Now I need another bath."

Daniel wept openly as he sat on the ground and gathered Echo's wet body into his arms. She weakly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you little lassie," Daniel whispered into her ear.

"About time," Echo replied snuggling her head into his neck to kiss it gently.

Egon removed his hand from Daniel's shoulder and watched the display between the pair and smiled. He watched as Kane placed the bath towel over Echo's naked body and tucked it in around her. As Kane sat back, Egon felt him place a hand on his shoulder and he turned to his right to face him.

Kane smiled at Egon and said, "I'm glad she's alive."

"Me too," replied Egon, "I can't bear to lose another one so soon."

Kane nodded his head as he patted Egon on his back. Kane knew that Egon had just lost his mother a couple of months ago. Echo's death would have been a devastating blow to the man who sat on his knees, dripping wet.

"I know," Kane replied, "Trust me, I know."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ray sat next to Ethan in the backseat of the four-wheel drive jeep. His wife, Melody, sat in the front seat next to Officer Yin Baolin who was driving. Melody was rapidly talking to the local police officer from Bayingol, China who had come to tell her about her daughter.

When none of the expedition team could find Nokomis anywhere, Melody had gone to the police in Bayingol the day that Nokomis had disappeared.

Melody stopped talking and turned around to look into the backseat. There Raymond sat behind her with Professor Ethan Harkness from New York University's archaeology department next to him. Sadly smiling at both men she asked if Ethan could translate for Ray.

"Sure Professor, not a problem," Ethan stated to her.

Melody turned back around and talked to the officer once more. Now she could concentrate on what he was saying to her without having to stop him and explain it to her husband.

When Melody had climbed out of the ancient tomb, she had been shocked to see Ethan standing there in front of her smiling. She thought she had left him to run the summer archaeology program back at the university for her.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she had yelled at Ethan.

"I had to bring your husband to find you," Ethan replied.

Melody cringed as she remembered slapping Ethan hard across his face before Ray had caught her hand when she went for another strike.

"Melody!" Ray yelled at her. "What are you doing? It's not Ethan's fault that he's here. Egon made me bring him. Egon couldn't come and he didn't want me lost forever in China's Taklamakan Desert."

Melody immediately apologized to Ethan and then had turned her back on both men. She had never wanted for them to meet.

Listening to Officer Baolin explain about the search for her daughter she could hear Ethan in the backseat translating for Ray. She may not have liked Ethan being here, with her husband, in China but now felt a little better about the situation that she felt she had been placed in the middle of.

Ray sat listening as Ethan translated the local Chinese dialect of Mandarin to him.

"Officer Baolin says that this morning a helicopter spotted an international ground-air emergency code," Ethan said.

"That's Nokomis!" Ray shouted to Melody.

"I know Raymond," Melody said holding up a finger at him to wait a moment.

Officer Baolin was still talking to her. Ethan continued to translate.

"They sent out a search and rescue team with a tracking dog," Ethan told Ray listening to Officer Baolin.

"The dog picked up a scent from the pile of rocks and followed it north," Officer Baolin explained.

"Is that when they found Nokomis's backpack?" Melody questioned the officer as she hung onto the dashboard as the jeep made a sharp left turn, following an old dry creek bed.

"Yes," Officer Baolin said as he slowed down just a bit to take the curve.

"Did the search and rescue team disturb the backpack?" Melody asked, "Nokomis had samples inside from the Loulan ruins."

"No," Officer Baolin said before he was interrupted by Ray.

"Was that the orange backpack I bought for Nokomis for her senior year of high school?" Ray asked interrupting them.

"Yes Raymond!" Melody said as she raised her voice to him. "Now please let me ask the questions."

"Professor Stantz," Officer Baolin said to her, placing his right hand on her left arm to calm her down.

Yin Baolin didn't understand English, but he did understand body language between a married couple. Especially when it involved their child.

He had seen too many of these conversations. Xinjiang province was home to a rise in 16 to 20 year old girls being taken to be forced into child prostitution. Most of the children ended up in Beijing or Shanghai in brothels. They were hard to find because the venues typically included hotels, karaoke's, and beauty salons. Those girls forced into marriages were never found.

When Officer Baolin saw Professor Stantz calm down he continued.

"Professor Stantz," he said removing his hand. "Doctor Stantz is worried about his daughter too. It's alright if he wants to ask questions. Please let him. He is going through a tough time also."

The jeep fell silent as Ethan translated the last sentence to Ray.

"How do I say 'Thank You'?" Ray asked Ethan.

Ethan smiled and taught Ray the Mandarin word.

"Xiexie," Ray said to Officer Baolin.

Officer Baolin smiled looking into the rearview mirror at Ray as he spoke to him. Ethan laughed along with Melody when he was done.

"Did I say it wrong?" Ray asked.

"No," Melody told him turning around to face him. "Officer Baolin says that your dialect is a little off, but you have a great talent for picking up new languages."

Melody turned around in her seat and spoke to Officer Baolin as Ethan listened, waiting to translate for Ray.

Instead of translating Ethan sat there shocked at what he was hearing from Melody. At work Melody would often speak about Nokomis to him and sometimes her husband. When she spoke of Raymond it was always about things that he had done wrong, but now Melody had respect for her husband as she spoke to Officer Baolin.

"Ethan," Ray said concerned that he was missing something important, "what is Melody saying?"

"Oh sorry," Ethan replied embarrassed that he had forgotten about Ray. "Melody is telling Officer Baolin that you know American Sign Language and can speak, read, and write Latin, Spanish, and French."

"She is?" Ray questioned, "I must have made her good list today. Normally I'm on her bad list."

"You and a lot of her newer students too," Ethan replied. "I gave up trying to find out where I am each day at work."

"So you too?" Ray questioned.

Ethan laughed at Ray as Officer Baolin brought the jeep to a stop. Outside was another jeep with a man waiting. As Ray climbed outside of the jeep he could see some rocks gathered together. Shutting the jeep's door, Ray stiffly walked over to the rocks, leaning on his cane for support. He really needed that warm bath right now, but all he got was the afternoon sun on his back. This was definitely Nokomis's work that he saw before him.

Stopping next to Melody, who was now talking to the new person, Ray noticed that Nokomis had made a directional arrow and a capital 'V'. Nokomis had remembered what he had taught her but he also knew that she was in trouble. The capital 'V' meant that she required assistance. Ethan appeared by Ray's left side as he started translating what Melody was saying.

"This is Chief Zhang Bai," Ethan said pointing to the new man. "He's the Assistant Chief of Police from Ruoqiang. He's telling Melody now that they spotted the international ground-air emergency code early this morning. They searched the immediate area and found nothing so they expanded their search and brought in a tracking dog. The team went out that way," Ethan said as he pointed to the north a short time after Chief Bai had done so.

"They followed the dog for another four miles where they found traces of blood," Ethan said bringing his hand down. "After that they went another eight miles and found an orange backpack, two swords, a compass, and a headlamp."

Ethan stopped talking as Melody was speaking to Chief Bai now. As she spoke, she followed him to his jeep. Ethan motioned for Ray to follow him as Chief Bai opened the front passenger door for Melody.

"Chief Bai is going to take us to where they found Nokomis's backpack," Ethan explained as he opened the backdoor for Ray.

Ray climbed inside the jeep, but before he shut the door he called out to Officer Baolin.

"Xiexie!"

Officer Baolin stopped and waved at Ray. "Bu Keqi, Doctor Stantz," he said as he got into his jeep and drove back the way they had come.

Ray shut his door as Ethan climbed in the other side and Chief Bai turned over the jeep's ignition. Chief Bai placed the jeep into gear and pulled away to the north. Ethan leaned over to Ray and said, "Officer Baolin said…,"

"You're Welcome," Ray interrupted him.

"No," Melody said, turning in her seat to face her husband. "Bu Keqi literal means 'Don't Polite'."

"Don't Polite?" Ray questioned.

"Yes," Ethan tried to explained as he leaned back into his seat, "It means "don't be polite" and is used as a reply when somebody thanks you for something which they think is no big deal."

"Oh," Ray said now understanding what had just happened. "Officer Baolin didn't think that driving us half-way across the desert was a big deal."

"Correct Raymond," Melody said as she turned around in the front seat to watch the desert outside.

A short time later Melody could see another two jeeps and a search and rescue team outside waiting for them. Before Chief Bai had even stopped the jeep Melody was opening her door and was trying to step outside.

Chief Bai placed the jeep in park and shut off the ignition as Ray opened his door and followed Melody to where she was squatting down by an orange backpack. Ray knew that this was the backpack that Nokomis had picked out for her senior year of school. Limping slowly over to his wife he saw her rummaging inside the pack.

"They're still here!" she shouted out to Ray and Ethan. "They haven't been taken."

Coming up to Melody, Ray leaned heavily upon his cane. He wasn't going to be able to stand for much longer. He needed to lie down before he fell down.

"What's still here Professor?" Ethan asked coming to stand next to Ray.

Melody pulled out four test tube vials. Two in each hand, that held the Celt mummy's tissue samples. Ray nodded his head as he turned to his left to face Ethan.

"It's the Celt mummy's samples from the burial chamber back at Loulan," Ray explained to Ethan.

Turning back around Ray saw two swords sitting on the ground. Stepping around Melody, Ray approached the swords. Carefully bending down, Ray sat onto the ground and pulled the larger sword toward him. Nokomis had been correct. The swords were what looked to Ray to be daisho's. Daisho was a Japanese term for a matched pair of traditionally made swords worn by the samurai class in feudal Japan.

"Melody," Ray said, "Nokomis was right. These swords are Japanese."

"Are you sure Raymond?" Melody questioned as she came over with Nokomis's backpack, placing the test tube vials back inside.

"Did you forget that I do have degrees in Metallurgy and History," Ray responded as he turned the sword to look at the tsuba design on the collar.

The design was beautiful. A pair of eyes and a set of lightning bolts were forged into the longer sword's metal, while the handle was wrapped with a blue braided rope.

"Raymond," Melody pointed out kneeling down on the ground next to her husband to zipper the backpack up, "Metallurgy deals with the chemical behavior of elements and their alloys. You got that degree studying for your mechanical engineering degree. It doesn't make you an expert in metal working."

"No, Melody, it doesn't. But remember Nokomis is interested in Japanese history just like me."

"So," Melody said as she pulled the smaller sword towards her.

Ray picked up the larger sword and brought it onto his lap.

"So, this is a matched set of daisho's," Ray told her taking the longer sword's handle in one hand and pulling it from its scabbard, holding it up to the sun's light as he did so. "The longer sword here is a katana and the smaller one that you have is a wakizashi."

"The blade has a unique profile and an exact tip shape. This point here," Ray said carefully pointing to the end of the sword, "is called a kissaki. Kissaki's have a curved profile and smooth three-dimensional curvature across the surface towards the edge. This originated in Japan," Ray said as he placed the katana back into its scabbard.

"It's true Melody," Ethan said coming up behind them both. "Daisho's were the symbol of samurai in Japan."

"And this katana is roughly about three pounds in weight and about twenty-eight inches in length. That places it in the late 16th century. So on all accounts Nokomis was correct in her observations in the burial chamber."

"Professor Stantz," a member of the search and rescue team said to her.

"Yes," Melody said standing up and placing Nokomis's backpack on her left shoulder.

"Could you please come over here? We found a compass and over by the road we found a headlamp. Can you identify them for us?" the man asked in Mandarin.

Ethan translated for Ray as he took the katana from him and helped Ray to his feet. Reaching down Ethan retrieved the wakizashi and watched as Ray and Melody were led away by the search and rescue man.

Stopping, the man pointed to the ground. Melody and Ray looked down to see a compass upside down in the dirt. Melody took the backpack off and set it down as she bent over and picked up the compass with trembling hands. Raising back up she held the compass with outstretched hands to her husband.

Ray nodded his head. This was his compass when he had been a boy. He had given it to Nokomis when she had turned ten and had shown her how to use it too. Nokomis always kept it with her, either in her pocket or backpack. It never left her side. Ray swallowed the lump in his throat and reached out a hand to reverently touch the instrument.

"Yes," Melody told the search and rescue man in Mandarin, "this belongs to my daughter."

The man nodded his head in understanding as Ray closed his hand over Melody's own. Melody looked up into Ray's face, sadness written in her eyes. Ray dropped his cane and took his right hand and wrapped it around Melody's waist pulling her towards him.

Melody let Ray pull her into a hug, holding onto the compass in her right hand, as she placed her left hand around Ray's shoulders. The weight from the past few days finally caught up with her. She had tried to put on a 'brave' face for her fellow archaeologists during the time that Nokomis was missing. She was a Professor after all. She couldn't, or was that wouldn't, she told herself, show any weakness to her fellow colleagues. A professional at all times.

Now here she stood with Raymond, her husband who she hadn't been getting along with lately. She had considered him indifferent to her needs these past few years. Melody had thought that Raymond was no longer listening to her or participating in their relationship. Raymond had very strong negative reactions to her and that led to fighting and conflicts between the couple.

Melody realized now that Raymond wasn't indifferent. In fact his negative emotions showed her that he still cared. If he didn't, Melody would not see the anger and fear from him. In truth, she was the one at fault.

Melody had stopped making Raymond a priority. Nokomis and her job came first and ranked much higher up than her husband did. She had fallen into a trap of just coasting along, perceiving that he didn't care. Melody now realized that this was an incorrect assumption on her part. In fact Raymond cared very much or he wouldn't have come to China.

Melody had tried controlling her husband these past few years. But in doing so it had caused resentment on both parties. Raymond was being the better person now and taking the lead. He was demonstrating to her the type of behavior that he wanted to see. Sure they had their issues, what couple didn't. But once upon a time they were in perfect sync and truly happy. That hadn't happened in a long time Melody realized as she cried into his shoulder.

"It's my fault Raymond," she quietly said between sobs, "I'm so sorry."

Ray held his wife close to him and released her right hand so that he could use his left hand to rub her back. He thought that Melody was talking about Nokomis and her fight that she had with her before Nokomis ran away. Ray wished that he could make Melody understand that it wasn't her fault. He still loved Melody after everything that they had gone through these past few years. Nokomis was their daughter. A product of the love they once shared with each other. Even though they had their differences he knew that no one was perfect. Everyone made mistakes. Ray knew that no matter how far away someone went, there was always a way back.

"Melody," Ray said trying to comfort his wife, "we'll get through this together."

Ray heard a voice in front of him and looked over the top of Melody's head to see someone coming out of an entrance to what looked like an underground house. Ethan was walking quickly over to the man who was talking excitedly and pointing in their direction.

"Raymond," Melody said lifting her head from his shoulder, "what is going on?"

"I don't know," he replied as Melody released his shoulder and turned towards the voice.

Ethan was now arguing with the man and trying to get him to follow him. Ethan clearly wanted the man away from the entrance.

"No!" Melody gasped.

"What?" Ray responded looking down to see the color drain from Melody's face.

"They found human bones inside the advance sentry of Loulan there," Melody said as she pointed to the entrance where the men were arguing.

Suddenly without warning Melody released Ray, dropped the compass, and ran towards the entrance. Realizing what was happening Ray left his cane and limped after her as fast as he could go. Ray saw Ethan catch Melody's arm as she tried to pass him and hold her tight.

"Professor you can't go in there," Ethan said to her, trying to keep her out.

"I need to know," she said pulling hard against Ethan's tight grip. "Damn it let me go!"

Ray caught up to Melody as she finally pulled away from Ethan and rushed past the other man and into the entrance. Ray placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder and shook his head no. It wasn't Ethan's responsibility, it was his. Ethan bowed his head and Ray limped up to the entrance and walked inside.

Melody was sitting in the sand a few feet away and crying. Ray came up to her and sat down by her side. Placing his left arm around her, he brought her close to his side. If they were going to find Nokomis's body he wanted Melody to know that he would be there for her, always.

Ray looked in front of him, and his heart fell, as he saw a pile of human remains. He sighed and could only hope that Nokomis hadn't suffered. A tear ran down the side of his cheek as his wife's crying turned to laughter. "What was going on?" Ray wondered. Ray looked down to see Melody looking up at him.

"They're too old," Melody said pointing to the bones. "Nokomis has been gone for only two days. These bones have no flesh on them. They don't belong to our daughter. She's still alive Raymond!"

"That's good news Melody!" Ray said as his heart leaped in his chest. "I just wish I knew where she was."

"I know where she is," a familiar voice said behind them.

Ray and Melody turned their heads as one to see a woman dressed in white standing before them a few feet away. Ray recognized her.

"Jean?" he asked.

"Yes Raymond," she replied, "It's me."

"But how?" Ray questioned her.

Jean raised a hand to stop him. She was dressed in a straight, white gown which went to her ankles and hung off of one shoulder. Jean had been sent to warn Ray of the future and to prepare his daughter for the trials ahead.

"I don't have much time," Jean said. "I have sent Nokomis on ahead. She is safe and will return to you in due time."

"Where did you send her?" Melody asked.

"I'm sorry I can't tell you that Melody, but she did leave a message for you," Jean stated.

"What's the message?" Melody asked.

She was a little startled at first upon seeing Ray's dead sister, but then again her husband worked with 'ghosts' for a living. It was something you got used to after awhile.

"I will tell you the message after I deliver a warning for Raymond," Jean said.

"Jean, what is the warning?" Ray asked.

"They are coming," Jean said.

Jean looked around her, deciding if she could say anything further. When she realized that no one was watching or listening to her, she turned her attention back to Ray.

"I'm forbidden to tell you all the details but I can tell you this," Jean said as she looked around her one more time, just to make sure that she was completely alone.

"A woman is in labor with a male child. They wait for the birth of the child. They want the child that is not theirs and the woman too."

"There will be total darkness and great pain as preparations are made for the final battle between the forces of good and evil…," Jean trailed off and looked to her right as if someone was listening to her.

"I'm sorry, I'm being called back," Jean said as she started to fade from view.

"Jean!" Melody called out to her holding Ray's hand tightly. "What was Nokomis's message?"

"Tell Daddy and Mom that I love them," Jean said as she faded from view.

"And," Jean's voice resonated around the empty room, her body now gone, "that they don't have to fight over me any longer."

Melody's head fell against Ray's shoulder as he squeezed her tightly. She didn't understand the message that Jean had just given to her husband. What she did understand was that Nokomis was safe, alive, and was coming back to her. That's all that mattered in the end.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Placing a stone over the crypt that he had just dug into the ground, Takeda Katsuyori Yoshinobu Jin let his trembling hands fall to his side. As he sat in the wet, rain soaked earth next to the small grave he knew what he wanted to do, but could he?

A tear dropped from his eye and onto the stone before he raised his head towards the sky.

"Why?" he cried to the sun as it peeked its way out from behind the clouds. "Why me?" he cried again, but he got no answer.

"Buddha must really hate me right now," he thought as he turned his body around and looked out over the valley in front of him.

He had come to the forest to find a place for his family's grave. He sighed and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his indigo blue kimono. There before him stood Enkiri Dera Temple. It had been three years since he had seen that temple. Three long years of his life waiting for his lover Shino and he felt it was his fault for what had happened to her. He had sent Shino to the temple to protect her.

Becoming angry, he closed his eyes and thought back on how Shino had come into his life. He had met her on a bridge, in the rain, as she stood there with a red umbrella. As he passed he had sensed that Shino was considering suicide. Stopping, he had told her that the water was not as deep as it seemed, and if she was considering ending her life, that maybe another stream would be better. Shino had been unable to convince him that that was not why she was there, as he walked away from her. After all it wasn't his business what other people did with their lives. As he was walking he sensed Shino following him and stopped under an outside food stand's awning for her.

"Please hurry," he told her as he looked in her direction noticing that she had stopped too. "If you wish to walk with me you may do so."

Shino had quickened her step and hurried to his side. They had set out into the rain once more with Shino holding her red umbrella over them both. As they walked Shino had talked to him. He had found out that she was married to the owner of the town's dry-goods store and that her husband had a gambling problem.

He had told her about his life living in the dojo with his master Mariya Enshirou, where he was praised as a prodigy and a genius by Enshirou, but now he had left the school and found himself wandering with nowhere to go.

As the sun rose the next day, Shino and him were still talking as they sat under a tree to keep out of the night's rain. Shino had stood up and bid him farewell, as she set out into the light mist of day, without her umbrella. As she walked away she told him that the time she spent with him would serve as a good memory.

"Memory?" he had questioned her.

Shino had stopped walking. Her head along with her shoulders had fallen forward, as if she wanted to cry, before she stood straighter and spoke to him with her back facing him.

"Yes memories," Shino said in a disdainful voice. "You see my husband's gambling debts has dried up our wealth and I'm the only collateral we have. I've been sold."

He remembered watching as Shino turned her face towards him as tears fell from her eyes.

"I start working today in the brothel," she choked out as she ran away from him.

He had sat there shocked. No wonder Shino had wanted to drown herself. Her husband had sold his wife to cover his gambling debts. He didn't like it and wished that he could do something for her. Picking up her umbrella, that she had left, he went in search of her.

Shino was two years older than him and he knew that she didn't want to be 'man-handled' during love making. She had told him that her husband would force himself upon her whether she liked it or not. He had become angry at Shino's husband as he searched the town for her that day. He didn't like the way that her husband had treated her. And then to sell Shino to a brothel, where men could do as they pleased with her body, only set his hatred of the man deeper into his heart.

He had found her that night as it started to rain once again. She looked different now with a pink and white kimono open to show off the top of her breasts. Men were gathered around the open barred window, talking to the girls, when he had approached and tried to offer her the umbrella back.

"Oh it's you," Shino had cried out surprised that he had found her. "I'm sorry but I won't be needing that anymore," she said as she pushed the umbrella back out to him between the bars of the window. "If you wish you can keep it. Look at you," she said placing her left hand onto his right cheek, "you're soaked."

Shino tenderly removed a lock of his dark brown hair, that had fallen in his face, before she had been called by the brothel's owner. She had a customer to attend to.

"I'm coming," Shino sadly said as she withdrew her hand from his face and turned to leave.

"Please," he had called out to her, removing his hat to stand in the pouring rain. "Please before you go, can you tell me your name?"

"I'm called Shino, but I won't be needing that name anymore," she said as she turned her face to him, a sad smile upon her lips. "Tell me your name please?"

"I go by Jin," he replied, wishing he could get her out of that horrible place.

"Jin," Shino said turning and walking away to her duties, "thanks for the memories."

Jin opened his eyes and looked once again at the temple in the valley. After Shino had left he had found part-time work. He needed to see Shino again, but he couldn't get inside without money. He had found that out the hard way. The next night when he had come back to try and talk to her, the brothel's owner removed Shino away from his presence. The third night he had noticed that she had been hurt. She had tugged at her kimono's sleeve, to bring it down past her bruised left wrist, telling him it was nothing. The brothel's owner noticed him that night and had sent his guards outside to deal with him. Jin had stood his ground facing the guards with his right hand on his katana. Out of the corner of his eye Jin noticed that Shino was being dragged away by a sumo wrestler. Jin had only one thing in mind and that was to kill anyone who got in his way.

Shino had seen the look in his eyes as she was dragged by her eri, the back of her kimono's collar, towards the door.

"Jin No!" Shino shouted before the sumo wrestler grabbed her already bruised left wrist and shoved her towards her room upstairs.

Jin had found that he couldn't disobey her pleas that night and had removed his hand from his katana as the brothel's guards attacked him. Normally he was lightning fast with his swords and no one could beat him, but tonight he let the brothel's guards inflict him harm as he lay on the wet, muddy ground and endured it all. Shino was probably going through worse with the sumo wrestler right now he told himself.

Shino, only twenty-two years of age at the time and a tiny woman, that only came up to his chest, was now crying from the second floor of the brothel. Jin could hear her pleas to stop it and he couldn't do anything about it. That's when he had made up his mind that Shino had to leave the brothel and soon. He had slowly picked himself up and walked back to the place where he worked, to find the owner and his wife up late that night.

"Takeda Jin what happened?" Hachi asked as she, and her husband Gorou, helped him out of the rain and inside the house that night.

Normally Jin slept in the horse stable out back, not wanting to bother the nice old couple that had given him work two days ago. As Jin tried to go back outside in the rain he had been stopped by Gorou.

"Where do you think you are going?" Gorou asked.

"To the stable," Jin replied as he tried to move around Gorou only to find his way blocked once again.

"Not like that," Gorou said pointing his finger at Jin's injuries. "Tonight you sleep in the kitchen by the fire."

Jin had humbly let Hachi and Gorou attend his wounds as he told them how he had gotten them.

"I'm surprised that you didn't cut them down with your swords," Gorou told Jin as he carefully helped him out of his black split hakama's.

"Shino asked me not to," Jin replied removing his kimono.

"Good thing you didn't," Hachi stated as she wiped Jin's legs down with a cloth and hot water. She was kneeling on the floor in front of Jin as he sat in a kitchen chair by the fire.

"Why?" Jin asked tossing his kimono onto the table nearby.

"Bantou would have had his way with Shino again if you did," Hachi stated as she reached for Jin's mud covered arm.

Jin knew that Bantou was the owner of the brothel, but how would Hachi know if he had laid with Shino or not? It was Gorou who asked the question in the end.

"Hachi," Gorou said holding Jin's white gi in his hands, "how do you know?"

"Risa told me," Hachi replied as she rung the dirty cloth out in the bucket of water at her feet. "She's Bantou's wife and she told me that he forced himself upon Shino the night before. Risa had to treat Shino's wrist the next day. Shino told Risa what had happen and Risa isn't happy about it."

Hachi carefully washed Jin's chest as she continued her story.

"Risa wants a divorce but she can't get one. Only Bantou can give her one," she said as she hit a tender spot and Jin wrenched.

"Sorry Takeda Jin," Hachi said as she dropped the cloth into the bucket of water and placed her right hand onto Jin's left arm.

"I wish there was a way to help Shino," Jin said, "I don't want to see her hurt. It should be her husband's responsibility to settle his own debts, not hers."

"Maybe many years from now," Gorou said as he collected Jin's kimono from the table. "But nowadays there isn't anyway for a woman to divorce her husband."

"Yes there is," Hachi stated removing her hand from Jin's arm and standing up to face her husband.

Gorou had been carrying Jin's clothes towards the back of the kitchen. Now he stopped and turned towards his wife. He knew what she was hinting at, but it would be dangerous for Jin to even attempt it.

Jin looked into both Hachi's and Gorou's faces. They knew something that he didn't.

"What?" Jin asked.

"It will be dangerous," Gorou replied looking straight at Jin.

"Worse than the shogunate?" Jin questioned.

"Much," Hachi replied and told Jin about what she knew.

Jin now laid down, on his back, next to the grave and placed his hands under his head. He looked up into the sky and watched as the sun climbed higher and higher. The plan had been dangerous but there had been no other way to free Shino. Enkiri Dera Temple had been the answer.

During the Edo period of Japan, in which Jin lived, only men had the right of claim for divorce. The only way a woman was able to get a divorce was if they went to Enkiri Dera Temple and asked for sanctuary, Hachi had told him. There they entered into three years of training where even the men in power were not allowed to enter. After the three years the woman was officially divorced from her husband.

Hachi, Gorou, and Jin had formed the plan and set it in motion the next day. Sending Hachi to her family on the only horse that the family owned, to keep her safe, Gorou and Jin had collected anything of value and sold it all. At the end of the day they had gotten ten ryo for everything. Gorou had exchanged the small, round holed coins for a large gold plated coin called a oban.

"It will be most impressive if you hold it up like this," Gorou said as he showed Jin the gold coin held in his right hand with only half of it showing. "Bantou can't refuse Shino to you then."

"I wish I could take my daisho's with me," Jin said as he took the oban and placed it deep inside his left kimono's sleeve.

"Bantou would only take them at the door," Gorou answered him as he picked up Jin's two swords from the kitchen table. "House rules you know."

"Actually," Jin said a little embarrassed, "I don't know."

"You mean to tell me you've never bought a woman before?" Gorou asked.

"No," Jin replied, "I never found the need for one, but now it appears after twenty years I do."

"Well," Gorou said placing a hand on Jin's back, "I had better teach you what to do so that you can get in the door. Once you reach Shino's room you know what to do. I'll be waiting for you in the alleyway with your daisho's."

Jin smiled at the sun now high in the sky. It was noon as he remembered back to his first time with Shino.

Jin had followed Gorou's advice and Bantou had all but given him the shirt off his back to have his way with Shino. She had been surprised upon seeing him at first, until she realized why he must be there. Turning her back to him she slowly untied her obi and let it fall to the ground. Jin stood still, not realizing what she was doing, until she took her kimono from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor, revealing her beautiful naked body.

Mesmerized Jin stood watching her. How he wanted her just then, but resisted the urge as he walked towards her slowly.

"Please be gentle," Shino pleaded, her face to the floor.

Jin slowly picked up her kimono from the floor and covered her naked body with it, turning her around as he did so. Taking her face into his right hand, he raised her head up to face him.

"I'll always be gentle with you Shino," Jin told her before releasing her face and drawing her trembling body into his.

Jin had told Shino of the plan they had made, as she tied her obi once again around her waist. She had seemed relieved to hear this from him and he asked why.

"Because," Shino stated, "I no longer bleed."

Jin nodded his head. Even though he had never known a woman he did know what happened to them. His master Mariya Enshirou had explained it to him when he was twelve.

"There is a period of five to six days when a female will be fertile enough to conceive," Enshirou had told him.

Jin knew that if Shino was to lie with anyone in that timeframe there was a good chance that she would conceive and bear a child. "I won't let that happen to her," he said to himself as he took Shino's hands in his own.

"I'll protect you," Jin told her instead while they waited for midnight.

But waiting for midnight was when Jin had learned how to 'please' a woman. He hadn't wanted to do anything beyond saving her life, but as they sat and talked Shino had taken the initiative and had kissed him on his lips. Returning the kiss they had soon found themselves in passionate love making.

"I love you Shino," Jin replied as they lay in each other arms.

"I love you Jin," Shino replied as she snuggled up against his chest. "Thank you."

"For what?" Jin asked kissing the top of her head.

"For being gentle," she replied.

Jin blinked away the tears that were now forming in his eyes and rolled onto his right side. He placed his left hand onto the stone covering the crypt next to him. It was just so unfair. He had saved Shino that night but now she wasn't by his side.

The pair had ripped and tied the bed sheets together to form a rope. Jin had tied it to the window frame of Shino's room and had gone down first in case there was any trouble. As Shino climbed over the window's sill and was attempting to climb down to him, Jin heard her scream. Bantou had come to tell Jin that his time with Shino was up an hour ago. As Shino faked love making noises, Jin had asked for an extension. Bantou had given him an extra hour, like Gorou knew he would by showing him the oban, but now that time was up. Bantou was reaching out the window to try and grab Shino and Jin knew that he would eventually catch her and pull her back inside.

"Let go!" Jin shouted up to her.

Shino had looked down at her lover. She knew that she could trust him. He had 'pleased' her in a way that even her husband had not and had been gentle in doing so. Trusting him to catch her, Shino released her hold on the rope.

Jim remembered catching Shino's falling body and carrying her to where Gorou was waiting for him.

"Thank you," Jin said, as he placed Shino on the ground and took his daisho's from Gorou.

"'Til we meet again," Gorou said, placing his pack over his right shoulder and rounding the corner, disappearing into the night.

Jin and Shino had made it to the edge of town when Bantou's guards had caught up with them. Placing Shino behind him, Jin had battled with the two guards but they were no match for his swordsmanship. In the end they lay dead at his feet as he placed his katana back into its scabbard on his left side.

"Hurry!" he told Shino, as he took her hand with his blood stained right one and stepped over the dead men's bodies.

Shino's face had been white with fright when she saw Jin kill the two guards. He had protected her and he was a force to be respected she knew.

A short time later the pair stood on the shore of a lake, with Enkiri Dera Temple on the other side. Jin helped Shino into the boat that Gorou and him had placed there earlier that day. He was going to take her across the lake, but only Shino could 'run-into' the temple. As Jin was about to step into the boat, another three guards came up behind them. In one swift move Jin pushed Shino's boat out into the lake, dropped the pole he had used, and drew his katana out cutting off the nearest man's arm with a powerful blow.

"Jin!" Shino had called as she drifted away from the shore.

Jin had heard her cry, but he didn't let his guard down as he confronted the other two guards and made short work of them. Turning his head behind him to make sure that Shino was safe he couldn't see the boat. All he heard was her voice crying out to him through the fog.

"Thank you."

Now here it was three years later and he had returned. Returned in hopes that Shino would be his wife. He had lived thinking about no one else and loved her more and more as each day passed. He couldn't get the vision of her standing there in the boat drifting away from him out of his head. He loved her dearly and wanted to protect her at all costs.

Jin had approached Enkiri Dera Temple three days ago to find that Shino was sick. Japan's contact with Europe had brought not only unique goods into their isolated island but foreign 'demons' as well. Shino had what the Japanese referred to as hososhin.

The nuns had allowed Jin inside to see his lover, prostrate on her bed with a high fever, headache, and muscle pain. Next to Shino was a small child of about two years of age in a similar position. Others in the temple had been affected as well so the nuns had left Shino in Jin's care.

Jin had set his swords aside to care for Shino and he did the only thing that he remembered from his childhood; that was the Red Treatment. His master had used it on him, a year after he had come to the dojo, when he had fallen sick. Jin hung a red cloth around the bed of Shino and the small child, offered them flowers, and burned incense in order to please the demon god. But instead of getting better, as Jin had done, Shino and the child had only gotten worse. Then yesterday, in the morning, Shino had opened her eyes to see Jin setting a red doll next to the child.

"Jin," she weakly called to him not trusting her eyes.

"Shino!" Jin called out turning to her and taking her lesion covered hand into his.

"You came back?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Shino," Jin said as he smoothed her damp hair away from her face, "it's been three years. You're free now. I've come to take you home."

"Home?"

"Yes," Jin replied smiling, "I've come to ask you to marry me. I love you. I will be gentle to you and protect you at all costs."

"I love you too, Jin."

Jin smiled bigger and then told Shino that he had thought of no one else for three years.

"Shino, I want you to bear me children."

"But I have Jin," Shino said as she closed her eyes and painfully moved her head to her right.

"What do you mean Shino?" Jin asked confused.

How could Shino have born him any children, they weren't even married yet.

"Haven't the nuns told you?" Shino asked as she opened her eyes to look upon the small child next to her.

"No."

"This is your daughter Jin," Shino said smiling weakly at the child. "She was born nine months after I entered the temple. You were my last. Her name is Sanjo after your great-grandmother that you told me about. Love her as I do," Shino said weakly before closing her eyes for the last time.

Jin reverently stroked the stone covering the crypt where the remains of his lover and his daughter lie. He couldn't bear to be apart from them. It was his fault that they both were dead. Sanjo had lived only an hour after her mother had died. He had sent Shino to the temple to be safe, but they had both died. Jin couldn't go on living alone and there was only one way to be with the ones he loved.

Sitting up Jin turned to face the small crypt and removed his wakizashi from its scabbard. Jin pulled his knees up under him. Knowing what he had to do he pulled open his blue kimono with his left hand. He was the last samurai of the Takeda clan and he intended to perform the ritual of seppuku. Jin was loyal to the bushido honor code as he raised the wakizashi into the air.

"Buddha forgive me," Jin cried as he went to plunge the sword into his abdomen.

"STOP!" a voice yelled at him.

Jin stilled his hand and looked behind him. A woman was standing behind him. Slowly lowering the sword in his hand, he turned his body to face the celestial Buddha. She wore her brown hair loose, down past her shoulders, instead of up on her head. The celestial Buddha had on a white kimono with the right side crossed over the left. As Jin looked closer he swore that the kimono was the one that he had put Shino in and then placed her body in a casket.

During life one would cross the front of the kimono with the left side over the right but in death, when the corpse was clothed in the traditional kimono, it was crossed right over left. Jin had done this for his lover Shino and had placed white sandals on her feet. He had then placed six coins inside the casket for her crossing of the 'River of Three Crossings'. Placing Sanjo into her mother's arms, Jin had stood and watched for an hour and a half as they cremated the bodies together.

Being her only relative, Jin had been allowed to pick the bones of his beloved out of the ashes, transferring them into an urn using large chopsticks. Carefully Jin had picked up the bones of the feet first and placed them into the urn. The bones of the head were last. This was to ensure that the deceased was not upside down inside the urn.

Jin looked closer and dropped his wakizashi to the ground. It was Shino standing before him. He sat there, not knowing what to say or do, as a wind came up suddenly and started blowing around him. Looking beyond Shino, he saw a round glimmering picture of another place. Jin saw that it was night and there was someone standing there looking at him. A young girl that had on strange clothes. A purple kimono that was opened, revealing her breasts that were tied up with a black and white cloth. She had on what looked to be light brown split hakama's of some kind.

"Protect her," Shino said to him.

"Why?" Jin questioned Shino as he slowly got to his feet.

"Because Buddha has given you another chance," Shino said, as she took a step backwards so that Jin could see the young girl clearly.

She reminded him of Sanjo, only older, and Jin hesitantly took a step towards her.

"Don't be afraid Jin," Shino said as she faded from his view, "Protect her, love her, like you did for me."

The young girl had turned to look to her left before she turned to face him again. A beautiful thin girl with slightly wavy, light brown hair, with black tips, that hung loose to her shoulders, and a heart shaped face. Jin smiled at her and held out his hand. The young girl took it and Jin squeezed her hand tightly. She wasn't a dream. She was real and as she stepped through the round picture, she fell into his arms.

The place where she had come from vanished as she wrapped her arms weakly around his neck. Jin could see that she was severely burned on her face, arms, and chest and he knew that she needed help.

"Hold on," Jin told her as he carefully reached down and picked up his wakizashi and placed it back into his scabbard on his left side.

The young girl muttered something that he didn't understand. It wasn't Japanese, he knew, as he placed his left hand under her legs and lifted her up to his chest. The only place to go for help was the temple and Jin carefully walked down the hill.

The young girl muttered something else. It sounded like 'Nokomis' but he didn't understand the language. She sounded like the foreigners that came from the European ships, and Jin wondered if she had strayed too far inland and had become lost.

"I'll protect you," Jin said as he walked towards the temple and help for his new charge that Shino had placed him responsible for.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The soft beeping of the machines in the room woke Daniel up. Opening his eyes he smiled at the young woman, who lay on her left side, in the hospital bed next to his chair. Leaning forward, Daniel reached out and brushed the loose hair out of her eyes.

"Just five more minutes Father," she muttered under the oxygen mask that she wore.

Daniel frowned. He was concerned about her. The hospital had told him they would release her after eight hours of observation if she had no change in her mental status or behavior, but with Echo muttering for her father, he didn't know if the hospital would let her go.

"Okay Echo," he said, "five more minutes."

Echo muttered a thank you as she snuggled further down into the warm blanket that lie on top of her.

Daniel sighed and removed his hand from her face. "No wonder she called out for her father," he thought, "he's always been there for her and I haven't."

Leaning back in his chair, Daniel let his head fall backwards so that he was looking up at the hospital's white, dropped ceiling. He still blamed himself for what had happened. If he hadn't startled Echo in Owl Creek she wouldn't have tripped and nearly drowned.

After Kane and Egon had revived Echo, the three men had all agreed that she should go to the emergency room. Echo had tried to protest, but was out voted, as Egon and him helped her get dressed and Kane went after a horse. In the backcountry the only way to get help in the event of an emergency was self-evacuation. The men knew that it would take too long for the whole camp to pack up, so Daniel had agreed to take Echo out on horseback to Flagg Ranch Resort.

Kane had come back, with Hawkeye, when Echo was dressed and sitting in Daniel's lap trying to get warm. Egon was french braiding her hair to keep it out of the way. Daniel was going to have to ride "double" with Echo in front of him. They were going to have to canter back to Flagg Ranch Resort, if they walked the horse it would take longer. Echo needed to be seen by a medical doctor sooner than later.

Kane walked Hawkeye across Owl Creek and up the steep bank on the other side while Daniel carried Echo across, with Egon following.

"I'm sorry I did this," Daniel told Egon as they cleared the creek and started up the steep slope.

"Daniel," Egon said as they reached the top of the slope, "it was an accident. Now stop blaming yourself for what happened. Concentrate on getting Echo to the hospital for me instead."

"But…," Daniel started to say before Egon cut him off.

"Look Daniel," Egon said taking Echo from his arms, "if you come away with anything from today, remember this saying."

"What saying is that?" Daniel asked as he mounted Hawkeye and then slid back to sit behind the saddle.

"The only thing constant in life is change," Egon said as he handed Echo up to Daniel. "If you truly love my daughter then change for her."

Daniel closed his eyes, with his head still back on the chair. He didn't know what Egon was trying to tell him at the time, but he had a lot of time to think about it during the ride home.

After Kane had wrapped the same wool blanket that he had used yesterday around Echo, Daniel had spurred the horse forward. Hawkeye didn't have to be guided and that made Daniel's job easier. Placing his left arm around Echo, and holding onto the saddle horn, the pair had cantered back home for as long as Daniel could take the constant jarring on his already tired body.

He would slow Hawkeye to a walk and then when Daniel was rested enough would ask the horse to canter again.

On the way Daniel got to thinking about what Egon had said to him. Daniel was "courting" Echo because that was what he was raised with, but Echo was beyond that. Daniel was being challenged to change, and join in with what Echo wanted to do, whether he liked it or not.

Daniel was so conditioned to his way of life that he had established a habitual response to everything. Egon was telling him to stop and wake up to how he was treating his daughter. Not that Daniel was treating his daughter poorly, but he needed to put more effort into his relationship with her.

Bringing his head forward, Daniel placed it into his hands. He knew that everything in life was only temporary. Things and people could be around for a day or for hundreds of years, but eventually everything would cease to exist in the way that he knew it.

Someone young, strong, and perfectly healthy, like Echo, could be taken from him at a moments notice, while someone who smoked and drank everyday could live till they were ninety years old.

Daniel's old habits, while useful, were preventing him from being open and receptive to new ideas. In Echo's eyes, he had adopted an outdated map of reality and had limited his belief about who he was and what he was capable of becoming.

Egon was telling him to change. Echo was telling him to change, but Daniel was afraid of change. Change to him, from what he knew, was scary and drastic. It seemed that if he succumbed to change, it would mean shedding everything he was and diving head first into a deep pool of muddy, murky water. Even though Daniel could grow and learn from it, it was still completely foreign to him. He wanted to do everything in his power to stick to his original course of direction but he knew that wasn't possible anymore.

As tears fell from Daniel's eyes he knew that he needed to move forward. He was going to have to allow himself to change for Echo's sake, but he still wasn't going to let his standards fall. He wasn't going to sleep with her until they were married, if she would even have him after this.

Raising his head up, Daniel dried his eyes with his sleeve as he looked Echo's way again.

When he had been half a mile from the ranch, Daniel had given Hawkeye his head and hung onto Echo for dear life as the horse galloped back home. Matt, the ranch hand, had been outside as Hawkeye came barreling up to him and performed a sliding stop.

"What happened?" Matt questioned him as he took Hawkeye's bridle in his hands. "Where is Ranger Parnell?"

Daniel explained what had happened as the Parnell's youngest son, Emmanuel, came out the back door to greet what he thought was his father. When he saw it was Daniel, with his niece Echo, he called back into the house for his mother to call the local EMT's and send an ambulance.

Removing the wool blanket, Emmanuel helped Daniel take Echo down from Hawkeye. Emmanuel noticed that she was cold and her pants were wet. He carried Echo inside the house as Matt attended to the hot, sweaty horse. Daniel had followed, feeling useless at the time.

It seemed to Daniel that the whole Parnell family knew more about first aid than he did, as Emmanuel laid Echo down on the kitchen table and started to undress her.

"Daniel, hand me those two red bags over there in the corner please," Emmanuel said pointing to the corner of the kitchen by the back door.

Daniel had retrieved the bags and brought them back to Emmanuel as Mrs. Parnell came in from the next room with two towels that she had just taken from the dryer.

"I have more in the dryer if you need them Manny," Mrs. Parnell said placing the warm towels over her granddaughter's cold, trembling body. "Why are Echo's pants still wet?"

"Thanks Mother," Manny said as he placed an oxygen mask over Echo's face and turned the green cylinder tank on full. "Echo's pants are wet because I believe she has cold diuresis."

"That's not good," Mrs. Parnell said as she rummaged around inside her son's emergency pack for a thermometer.

Finding what she needed, she took Echo's temperature while Manny removed Echo's wet pants by cutting them off with his bandage scissors.

"32 degrees Celsius," she announced to her son, "mild hypothermia."

"Moderate hypothermia Mother," Manny replied as he placed a silver tin-foil looking blanket around his niece, tucking it in on all sides as he did so and removing the now cold towels.

"Moderate?" Mrs. Parnell questioned.

"Yes," Manny replied, "Echo is shivering, has cold diuresis, she is pale, and her movements are slow and labored. Daniel here," Manny said handing him an unopened bag of intravenous fluids, "fill up the sink in the kitchen with hot water and place the bag inside for me please."

Daniel did as he was told, as he saw Manny carefully remove Echo's right arm from the foil blanket and tie a blue colored rubber tourniquet around her bicep. Mrs. Parnell handed Manny chlorhexidine scrub and gauze squares, which he used to swab the site. Manny asked Echo if she could make a fist. Echo had tried weakly to make a fist, as Daniel came back over to the kitchen table.

Manny shook his head at his mother, afraid to say anything in front of Echo, as Mrs. Parnell asked him what size catheter he wanted.

"Eighteen gauge."

Mrs. Parnell let out a small gasp.

"Manny what are you thinking? Echo isn't going into major surgery and I don't see massive hemorrhage."

"I know Mother," he replied, "but I do need to warm her back up and I can't place a foley catheter for warm peritoneal lavage."

Quietly nodding her head, Mrs. Parnell handed her son the catheter that he requested as she turned her head towards the front door. The sounds of an ambulance in the driveway could be heard.

"Jason's here," she told her son as she asked Daniel to go and let the EMT's inside for her.

As Daniel went to answer the door, Manny placed the catheter into Echo's arm and taped it in place with adhesive tape. Daniel opened the door to find two male EMT's with a stretcher standing outside.

"Jason," Manny called out, "we're in the kitchen."

Daniel had followed behind the EMT's as the men talked to each other. Daniel had no idea what they were talking about and helplessly stood at Echo's head, stroking her hair. He heard the men say "vitals" with the answers of "temperature 32, pulse weak, respiratory slow and labored, blood pressure taking it now."

"Daniel," Manny said, "How long was Echo submerged for?"

Daniel stood with his head to the ground, as he shook his head back and forth.

"It's all my fault," Daniel told Manny.

Manny motioned for Jason to take over, as he moved to Daniel's side. Taking the man's hands from Echo's head, Manny held them in his own.

"Daniel, look at me."

Daniel raised his face to see Manny's pleading eyes. They reminded him of Egon's eyes and he quietly said, "a couple of minutes."

"Okay," Manny said to himself and Daniel as well, "I know that Echo doesn't drink so alcohol wasn't involved, but what about drugs?"

"Echo doesn't take drugs," Daniel said getting angry at Manny for even suggesting such a thing.

"Daniel," Mrs. Parnell said, taking Daniel away from Manny so that her son could go back to work on his niece. "If Echo is having her menstrual cycle she may have taken some aspirin for it."

Daniel shook his head 'no' as Mrs. Parnell took over asking the remaining two questions.

"What was the water temperature?"

"Cold," Daniel replied.

"Were rescue maneuvers attempted?"

"Yes," Daniel replied as he watched Manny and Jason lift Echo's body and transfer it to the stretcher. "Kane and Egon did artificial respiration."

"Good memory," Mrs. Parnell told him as she squeezed his hands.

"Daniel," Echo called out to him as she weakly held up her left hand.

"Right here," Daniel said quickly crossing to her side. "I'm sorry," he said as he saw Jason hook Echo up to the now warm fluids.

"It's okay Daniel," Echo replied.

As Jason and his partner started wheeling the stretcher towards the front door, she pleaded to Daniel, "Stay with me."

"Always," Daniel promised before he released her hand so that the EMT's could move the stretcher out the front door.

Daniel smiled as he heard Echo muttering beneath her oxygen mask.

"Father where's Daniel?"

Daniel moved his chair closer to the hospital bed and reached out and took her right hand.

"Echo, I'm right here," he told her squeezing her hand.

"Where did you go?"

"I've been here all the time Echo. I didn't go anywhere," Daniel said as he furled his brows at her.

Echo opened her eyes to see a blurry Daniel sitting before her. She furled her brows at him. She could have sworn that he had left her for a period of time because something terrible had happened between them. Something so bad that she had been hospitalized for it. Yet here she was in a hospital bed with Daniel by her side. Echo decided that she must have been dreaming and smiled at Daniel.

She was feeling much better after receiving oxygen and having a nasogastric tube placed through her nose and into her stomach. The tube helped to remove the water that she had swallowed from Owl Creek. She remembered the doctor and nurses had re-warmed her body with blankets and intravenous fluids too. Echo had been able to relay a good history of the incident, although she was shivering at the time and her teeth were chattering. The doctor had admitted her to the hospital and ran tests, while she rested, under a mandatory six to eight hour observation watch. She watched as Daniel smiled back at her.

Daniel turned his head away from her and towards the door that opened to reveal Doctor Smith from the emergency room. He had been Echo's attending doctor when she was admitted.

"So," a middle aged good looking man with short brown hair said, "Doctor Spengler, how are you feeling now?"

"Oh," groaned Echo as he entered the room. She rolled her eyes back into her head, "No more tests! I've had every inch of me tested, prodded and poked, and then some. And what have you discovered Doctor Smith?"

"That you have a stent in the right frontal lobe of your brain from your endovascular coiling surgery when you were nineteen, along with a titanium rod in your right tibia. And," he teased her, "you don't make a very good patient."

"Doctors never do," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

"Egon!"

"Father!"

Echo and Daniel said together.

Doctor Smith turned around to see two ragged, dirty men standing in the doorway. The first one he didn't know but he knew the second older man.

"Kane!" Doctor Smith said as he stepped forward and took his hand. "Don't tell me this is one of your lost sheep?"

"Will," Kane said shaking his hand and then releasing it, "I see you've met my granddaughter. This is Eden's first child, Doctor Echo Spengler."

"We've met," Echo said as Egon crossed the room to her side. Egon took his hand and caressed her head as Echo finished her thought. "A little too personally if you ask me."

Kane laughed as he proceeded to tell Doctor Will Smith how Echo had three doctorate degrees from Juilliard School of Music, plus two from Columbia University.

"Five!" Will said, shocked to learn more about his patient that he didn't know before.

"Four," Echo replied as she released Daniel's hand and reached towards her father, glad that he was there.

Will turned towards the older man who was clearly her father. Egon took his daughter's hand in his as he explained to Doctor Smith what Echo meant.

"Echo is starting up her residency in reproductive endocrinology and infertility medicine. She doesn't consider herself a doctor of that, just quiet yet."

Kane smiled at Will's bewildered look and added to it.

"Yep," he said as he patted Will on the back, "and my son-in-law here, Professor Egon Spengler, has seventeen doctorate degrees."

"Eighteen," Echo said as she released her father's hand.

"You told me seventeen Egon?" Kane questioned the man.

"I got the eighteenth when I went for my professor title after Eden was killed," Egon said remembering his promise to his dead wife.

"Okay," Will said tossing his hands up into the air. "I know when I've been had. I'll come back later to see how you are doing Doctor Spengler."

"Kane," Will said, as he shook his hand once more before leaving, "I'll see you for that search and rescue exercise next month."

Egon watched Doctor Smith leave the room and then questioned Kane how he knew the man.

"Major/Doctor William 'Will' Smith is currently the medical director for Grand Teton National Park, Teton County Search and Rescue, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS, and is an emergency department physician here at St. John's Medical Center. He also actively serves in the U.S. Army Reserves. He teaches Wildness and Rescue Medicine, Technical Rescue and Medical Considerations, Disaster Medicine, International Medicine, Combat/Tactical EMS, Urban/Rural EMS, Medical Oversight for EMS Systems, and Wilderness Advanced Life Support known as WALS."

"Will also founded "Wildness and Emergency Medicine Consulting, (WEMC), LLC" and is currently providing comprehensive up-to-date consulting services in EMS, Wildness Medicine and Emergence Medicine. And," Kane said proudly, "a all around good friend of mine."

"WOW!" Daniel said.

"And he was impressed by my degrees," Egon stated. "I'm impressed by him."

"Who are you impressed by?" Mrs. Parnell's voice asked.

Kane turned around to see his wife standing in the doorway to Echo's room. She had driven Daniel to the emergency room, following the ambulance, when they left the house.

"Lizzie!" Kane said as he went to his wife and gathered her into a bear hug. "Egon was saying that he was impressed by Doctor Smith's achievements. But more importantly, how are you feeling?"

"I still have my headache," she said smiling up at her husband.

Echo furled her brows at her grandmother as she sat up in bed. Something wasn't right with her Grandma. Lizzie was paler than when they had left for their week long trail ride. She had complained about a headache back then too, with neck pain and pain behind her eyes. Unless Grandma Parnell was suffering from migraines, she should have been over her headache by now.

"Anyways, Will is a good friend of my husband's Egon," she said as she stepped into the room. "He taught our son, Manny, to be an Wildness EMT for the Teton County Search and Rescue group."

Lizzie grabbed her husband for support, as she suddenly felt very weak, but continued talking to Egon although it was suddenly painful to do so.

"I'm very proud..of…Manny…," she slurred out before she collapsed in her husband's arms.

"Lizzie!" Kane shouted as Egon rushed forward to help him.

Echo reached behind her and grabbed the emergency cord, to call for the nurse, as she ripped off the oxygen mask and tried to get out of bed to help her Grandmother. Egon saw what Echo was trying to do and pointed a finger her way.

"Oh, no you don't sweetheart," he told her as he helped Kane lower Lizzie's limp body to the floor. "Stay put!"

"Stay put my…," Echo started to say as Daniel placed his hand on her chest and pushed her back into bed.

Echo scolded up at Daniel as he took his hand away from her chest.

"We're in a hospital Echo," he said gently taking her hand and bringing it up to his mouth, he kissed it gently. "For once in your life, let someone else play hero."

"LIZZIE!" Kane shouted louder as he held his wife in his arms, waiting for help, sitting on the floor of Echo's hospital room.

Lizzie opened her eyes and weakly raised her right hand to tenderly touch Kane's face.

"Forever my love," she said smiling up at her husband before she closed her eyes and her hand dropped to her side.

Kane's tears fell from his eyes and landed upon his wife's face, as he buried his head into her bosom and gently rocked his dead wife back and forth.

"Forever Lizzie," he said, "I promise."


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Echo sat in the hard wooden pew next to her father and Daniel, waiting for her grandmother's funeral to start. She had been blaming herself for not picking up on her grandma's symptoms early. Lizzie's autopsy showed that she had a cerebral aneurysm that had ruptured the day that Echo had gone into the backcountry with her grandpa. On the day that Lizzie died, she had another aneurysm that had ruptured. She had died in her husband's loving arms.

"It's my fault Grandma's dead," Echo had told her father when he had come back into her room, an hour later to tell her the news.

"Sweetheart," he said as he sat on her hospital bed next to her, "it's not your fault."

"Yes it is," Echo replied, "all the signs were there. Grandma had severe headaches, neck pain and stiffness, and pain behind her eyes. I should have seen it sooner."

Egon and Daniel had tried to convince Echo that it was an accident and she wasn't to blame, but Echo wouldn't listen to them. Peter had come through for Echo, like he did when her mother had died.

Echo had seen the plane hit the North Tower on September 11th and she had watched helplessly out of Peter's apartment window, as Dana had first called her husband and then Egon. When Peter had walked into the apartment that day, the North Tower had come crashing down to the ground in a pile of gray smoke. Echo couldn't do anything to help her mother trapped inside. Peter had gathered her hysterical nine year old body into his arms. He hadn't said a word, he didn't need to, as he rocked Echo back and forth until she had fallen asleep in his arms.

The same thing had happened with her grandmother. Peter had come into her hospital room and had ordered her father and Daniel out. Sitting on the bed next to her, Peter had gathered her into his arms once again. As Echo tried to convince Peter that it was all her fault, he said nothing the whole time and only held her tighter each time she got more upset. In the end, Echo had cried her heart out onto Peter's shoulder. When she was done Peter's shirt was soaking wet and Echo had apologized to her uncle. Peter only smiled and patted her on the arm before he left.

"I hate this shirt anyways," Peter said, "Remember Echo I'm always here for you whenever you need to talk."

The chorister now stood up before the group of mourners and used her hands to ask the people attending to rise from their seats. As Kane's oldest son Benjamin played the piano, Echo sang the words to "How Great Thou Art" with her father singing, in his deep rich tenor voice, next to her left side. Looking his way, she saw him smile at her before he turned back to the hymn book he held in his hands. Echo didn't need the book. She knew the words by heart. Echo now heard a beautiful light and airy baritone voice coming from her right. Turning to look at Daniel, she was surprised. She had never heard him sing before, not even at her birthday parties. He always seemed to hide behind his violin and play it instead.

Echo dropped her soprano voice down to the alto line, on the second verse of the song, and listened to Daniel as he tried to match what she was doing. Smiling at him she nodded her head to encourage him to sing out. Manny, standing on Daniel's right side, placed a hand on Daniel's back and made him stand straighter. It made a world of difference to Daniel's voice. Daniel's eyes went wide with surprise at how different his voice sounded when he was standing correctly. "Just like when I play my violin," Daniel thought to himself as he nodded a thank you towards Manny.

As the song ended, and they were sitting back down, Manny handed Daniel the week old baby girl, that he held in his arms. Manny needed to go and say an opening prayer for his mother's funeral. Echo bowed her head, but kept her eyes open in wonder, as she watched Daniel hold the baby. Daniel gently cradled the infant, as if it were his own, and Echo suddenly realized what she was missing in her life. She had kept so busy with work and her schooling that she hadn't stopped to consider that maybe there was something more important that just her. A family, and not just her and her father, but Echo's own family, waiting for her to welcome them into her arms. Echo loved Daniel and had been waiting for him to make the first move, but now she needed to get the ball rolling. Echo smiled a sly smile as she decided that she was going to make the first move on Daniel, much like her mother had done on Egon.

Manny, having finished the prayer, came back over and took the baby back from Daniel. Echo turned her attention to her grandfather Kane who was now giving her grandmother's eulogy.

"Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Rose Mathews Parnell grew up in Bend, Oregon where we met in high school. We married when we were both eighteen years old and have never looked back. Our first son, Benjamin, came into our lives nine months after we were married. As Lizzie stayed home to raise our son, I attended Central Oregon Community College and then transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene, when Ben was almost three years old. Lizzie had two miscarriages during this time and was feeling depressed that she couldn't have a large family like she wanted. To get her mind off of this, I backed off of my full schedule of environmental science courses and took half days. I had Lizzie sign up for classes at the university which she took two days a week. At the end of the semester Lizzie announced to me that she wanted to become a nurse and that she was pregnant with our second child Ruth."

"Ruth, as many of you know, died last year from a hit and run driver. Her body was thrown from the car and landed in a ditch before the car was dragged another hundred feet down the road. The police and paramedics didn't find her body until two days later when her husband, who had been driving, woke up in the hospital asking where she was."

"Miraculously Ruth didn't suffer and had died on impact, but the local wolves, in Canada where they lived, had desecrated the body. Lizzie and I had her remains cremated and Tommy, her husband, sent them to us in Utah at the time."

"A year after Ruth was born Lizzie started working as a nurse at night at a local clinic and I finished up my degree during the day. The first forestry job that I got was at Arches National Park, in Utah, where we lived until six months ago when I was transferred here to Wyoming. During our stay in Utah, Lizzie continued to work nights at Moab Regional Hospital, where she worked in Labor and Delivery. Lizzie absolutely loved children and after two more miscarriages she thought about other ways of adding to our small family."

"While in Moab we got the reputation for collecting 'lost sheep'. Lizzie and I fostered our share of children, while in Utah, when they needed a place to stay, even if it was only for the night. The local court system liked how we thought of the needs of the children under our care first before our own comforts. Lizzie and I often gave up our own bed to a late night addition whose mother or father had been arrested and was going to have to spend the night in jail. My good friend, Officer Dean Cutler, would give me a call, late at night, to 'impose' upon us to take a child so that Child Protective Services wouldn't have to be called at one in the morning. No matter the hour Lizzie and I always said "Yes" and welcomed the children into our home."

"It just so happens that our third child, Sarah, and our fourth child, Joseph, were not our direct seed but we loved them anyways and they joined our little growing family. Sarah was born deaf and deserted at the hospital an hour before Lizzie came on duty. When Lizzie saw Sarah she fell in love and refused to let the social worker take her away. Since the social workers knew us well they believed Lizzie when she told them that we were adopting the child. Lizzie, however, got into a little bit of trouble that night with the hospital administrator. She told him that we were adopting the child and that was that. When the hospital administrator called me up, to see if we were really adopting the child, I had no idea what he was talking about and answered him back."

"What my wife says is correct."

Echo laughed, as well as the others that were there, and Kane waited for the laughter to die down before he continued.

"Well I didn't know what fully went on, until Lizzie brings this beautiful six pound baby girl home at four in the morning."

"Kane," Lizzie said to me, "I couldn't leave her there, unwanted, in a cold unloving environment. I just know she was sent for us to raise."

"I agreed with my wife that night and the whole family signed up for a Saturday course on American Sign Language the next week."

"Two more years would go by, with two more miscarriages on Lizzie's part, until Joseph came into our lives. Lizzie helped with the delivery of Joseph to a young sixteen year old girl. Lizzie thought everything would be fine when she left that morning. The young mother had left, supposedly with the child after Lizzie got off of work, but when Lizzie came in the next night the child was there without it's mother."

"Lizzie discovered that the doctors had diagnosed the baby boy blind at birth. She found Joseph in the neonatal unit suffering apnea, most likely caused by drugs. He was tested and opiate toxicity was found in his system. Lizzie surmised that the young mother must have been taking the drugs, while she was pregnant with him, causing him to be born blind. The landscapers had found the baby at lunch time in the hospital shrubbery. The mother had left at eight that morning. Lizzie had left at four in the morning. Lizzie called me up at home in tears. I asked her if it was a girl or a boy. She told me a boy and I told her to bring him home when she could."

"A month later Joseph joined our family and Sarah and him have become inseparable to this day. Each knowing what the other was going through, they became each other's eyes and ears."

"Our fifth and last natural born child was Eden. Ben was eleven years old, Ruth was seven, Sarah was five, and Joe was two when Lizzie went into labor and delivered Eden in my forest ranger's truck. It was a Saturday, and as a family we were on a hike in Arches National Park, when Lizzie's water broke. Lizzie was two weeks early and all the kids thought it exciting that their sister was going to be born, right there before their eyes, in the dirt on the Windows Loop Trail."

Another round of laughter filled the church and Kane waited once again until it subsisted to finish his story.

"Well Lizzie did at least wait until we got back to the parking lot and I opened the passenger side of my truck. Sitting her in the seat, and trying to put her legs inside, Lizzie delivered our daughter into my hands."

Egon could see Kane wipe away a tear. He knew how the man felt. He had delivered his own daughter Echo in the middle of a snow storm. Kane sighed and continued.

"We thought that our family was complete until eighteen years later Emmanuel joined us. We were on our way to Cedar City, Utah to help Eden start her first year of college. Before we left Lizzie stopped by Valley View Medical Center to visit a friend from her college days. Lizzie always stopped by the newborns, in the nursery, before leaving. She noticed an African-American baby off by itself and questioned her friend about it. The baby had been left at the hospital's emergency room door and the social workers had been called. Well after an extended stay in Cedar City, with my brother Edward, and after all the paperwork was signed, Manny came home to live with us."

"Now thirty-seven years later it appears that Lizzie decided that our family was still not complete. On the day of her death, she was at St. John's Medical Center where my granddaughter Echo had been taken. Passing by the nursery she noticed a half white/half African-American baby girl off by herself. This child had been left, much like Manny, an unwanted child. Lizzie signed the papers to take this child home and had come to our granddaughter's room to tell me the good news."

A tear fell down Kane's face as he recalled his wife's last moments.

"Lizzie died in my arms telling me 'Forever my love'. I didn't find out about the baby until after Lizzie was pronounced dead in the emergency room. When the doctor told me, that under the circumstances, they would understand if I didn't want to go through with the adoption, I told them that I would. Lizzie had felt deeply that this child should be a part of our family and I have never gone against the wishes of my wife, until now."

Kane looked up towards the ceiling of the church.

"Lizzie forgive me," he cried before he brought his face back down.

"Lizzie wanted this child to be called Mary. It was her idea, from the beginning, to give all of our children names from the bible, but just this once I am going to change it around."

"Manny could you please stand up?" Kane asked.

Manny stood up, proudly holding his new baby sister, as Kane spoke to the people gathered before him.

"Our seventh child will be known as Elizabeth Mary Parnell," Kane said proudly as he stood a little straighter.

"We can shed tears that Lizzie has left us, but she will live on in this child," he said.

Manny sat back down and Kane continued.

"In closing I want to read my wife's favorite poem to you. The author of this poem came from a very musical family, just like my wife did. As a young woman she loved playing the organ until severe arthritis took the ability to play away from her. Battered, scarred, and bound to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, she could have easily given up and become a bitter old woman, just like Sarah, Joseph, Emmanuel, and Elizabeth. Our children could be mad at the world, mad at their real parents, these four unwanted babies that no one but us wanted. Rather than becoming bitter the author chose to let her handicap make her better."

"She took one pencil in each of her badly deformed hands and using the eraser end she would slowly type. Her musical soul spoke through her poetry. Her words were a joyous expression of the wonders of her life."

"Lizzie often returned to his poem when she miscarried our children, in times of depression, or when she lost dear, close friends."

Kane took from his inside jacket pocket an old worn, laminated bookmark and a pair of reading glasses. Placing the glasses on his face he read the poem.

'_Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer_

_Thought it scarcely worth his while_

_To waste much time on the old violin,_

_But he held it up with a smile._

"_What am I bid, good folk?" he cried_

"_Who'll start the bidding for me?A dollar, a dollar…now two…only two…_

_Two dollars, and who'll make it three?_

"_Three dollars once, three dollars twice,_

_Going for three"…but no!_

_From the room far back a gray-haired man_

_Came forward and picked up the bow._

_Then wiping the dust from the old violin_

_And tightening up the strings,_

_He played a melody pure and sweet,_

_As sweet as an angel sings._

_The music ceased, and the auctioneer,_

_With a voice that was quiet and low,_

_Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"_

_As he held it up with the bow._

"_A thousand dollars…and who'll make it two?_

_Two…two thousand, and who'll make it three?_

_Three thousand once and three thousand twice…_

_Three thousand and gone!" said he_

_The people cheered, but some exclaimed_

"_We do not quite understand…_

_What changed it's worth?" and the answer came:_

"'_Twas the touch of the Master's hand."_

_And many a man with soul out of tune_

_And battered and scarred by sin_

_Is auctioned cheap by the thoughtless crowd_

_Just like the old violin_

_A "mess 'o pottage"_

_A glass of wine_

_A game and he travels on_

_He's "going" once_

_He's "going" twice_

_And "going"…and almost "gone"_

_Then along comes the Master, and the foolish crowd_

_Never can quite understand_

_The worth of a soul or the change that's wrought_

_By the touch of the Master's Hand._

Tears fell from Echo's eyes and she reached out a hand towards her father. Daniel caught her right hand in his before she could go any further. Turning her face towards him she saw tears in his eyes too. Apparently the poem had touched everyone there.

Who couldn't compare their lives to that of the old violin? Once loved, played, enjoyed to be tossed aside, abused, battered, scarred, and unwanted.

Kane took the reading glasses off of his face and replaced them with the poem, back into his inside jacket's pocket. Producing a white handkerchief he wiped his eyes before he spoke again.

"Now we will be privileged to hear from our own Masters," Kane said. "My son Joseph, my granddaughter Echo, and her boyfriend Daniel will play their own version of "Amazing Grace" for us."

Echo knew that she was going to be playing at her grandma's funeral. Kane had asked her if she and Daniel would, but how could she follow something so tender as her grandmother's favorite poem?

Daniel helped her get to her feet, and Egon took her left arm and led her out of the row and to the aisle. As Daniel released her, and proceeded to the front of the church, Echo held back. She could see Sarah guiding Joseph, much like her father was guiding her forward. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, that led up to the stand, Echo turned to her father.

"I can't do this," she whispered to him.

She had had stage fright before when she had first started playing the piano in front of an audience and now she was terrified. As a child her knees would shake so much that the whole piano would vibrate loudly.

Egon looked into her face and saw that she was frightened for some reason. Why now, after so many years of performing in front of people, would she be nervous? Frowning Egon asked her, "Why?"

"I can't compare to Grandmother's favorite poem," she whispered back to him.

Egon gently helped her climb the four stairs to the stand and guided her to her chair. Helping her to sit down, he handed her the cello that Daniel was holding out to him. Bending down to his knees, Egon spoke to his daughter.

"Echo, close your eyes."

Echo did as she was told as she felt her father's hand on her right knee.

"Empty your mind," Egon told her, as Daniel was heard tuning up his violin to match that of the piano.

With Egon's left hand still on Echo's right knee, he took his other hand and pulled her long hair to hang over her right shoulder. Echo always did this before she played the cello, it kept her hair away from the strings of the cello.

"Don't think about whether the audience will like you or your playing," Egon told her quietly as he finished placing her hair in place. "Focus on reaching out to Lizzie and play solely for the pleasure of her."

Echo felt her father take away his hand from her knee and hair. She opened her eyes wishing he could stay with her. She watched as he walked away from her and back down the stairs to take his seat once again. Daniel placed his right hand on her shoulder, holding his bow, and nodding his head released her to play an A on his violin.

Echo thinly smiled and followed suit, fine tuning the cello until it matched Daniel's own. As she finished with her low C pitch, Daniel nodded at Sarah to let Joseph know that they were ready. Sarah placed a hand on Joseph's shoulder and he placed his hands on the piano. Feeling the keys and playing the middle C, to make sure he had his hands in the correct position, Joseph started the song.

Echo had nineteen measures before she was to come in and her anxiety only increased. Her heart was pounding, she had butterflies in her stomach, and she was sweating so much she felt that her bow would slip from her right hand.

Closing her eyes Echo breathed slowly, deeply, and calmly but it wasn't helping as she heard Daniel come in on his violin. She only had seven more measures now before it was her turn and she felt as if she couldn't do it.

Suddenly she felt a presence by her side and opened her eyes. No one was there, but Echo could have sworn that she felt something, someone watching her. Echo closed her eyes again and got ready to draw her bow across the cello's strings.

There it was again! The feeling that someone was watching her. Echo was now becoming scared until the presence whispered into her ear.

"Don't be afraid," the voice said oddly familiar, "You are the touch of the Master's Hand."

She knew who the voice belonged to. It was her grandma. Lizzie had come to listen to her play. Keeping her eyes closed, Echo came in now while Daniel had a series of rests in his piece. It was just four measures of her and Joseph, and she expressed herself through the cello to her grandmother, who was listening next to her right side. Daniel came in on the last stanza and all three played together until the next verse.

Joseph had written the next two verses based on the third and fifth verses of the song. Daniel carried the leading melody while Echo played a counter melody, flowing in and out of Daniel's held doted half notes. Joseph played cords under them. As they finished the verse and repeated it again Echo felt her mother's presence now and then heard her singing by her left side.

"_Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,_

_And mortal life shall cease,_

_I shall possess within the veil,_

_A life of joy and peace."_

Echo's Mother's voice died out as she drew her bow across the double stop D and G strings. Echo had seven measures of rest while Joseph continued on alone. She sat there, with her eyes closed, as she felt her mother and Grandmother embracing in front of her.

As Echo raised her bow, to come in with Daniel, she felt the pair start to fade away from her. Echo vibrated the last note, holding it out until Joseph came in, before she lifted her bow off of the cello's strings. She had felt forgiven by her grandmother in the short time she had been by her side. Tears fell from Echo's eyes as she knew Lizzie was in a better place and with her mother now.

Joseph rolled the last cord of the song and lifted his hands from the keyboard. As he went to get up from the piano bench Sarah held him back.

"What?" he signed to her.

Sarah signed into his open palms, "Echo's not moving."

"Where?" Joseph signed back.

"Two o'clock," Sarah signed into his open palms once again.

Joseph slid to the end of the piano bench and held out his right hand until he felt Echo under his touch. Taking her shoulder, he stood up and walked the couple of steps towards her.

What Joseph couldn't see was his niece crying, bent over the borrowed cello, still sitting in her seat. Daniel was kneeling by Echo's right side, trying his best to comfort her.

"Come Echo," Joseph told her lifting her up from her seat, "let's talk out in the foyer."

Daniel watched amazed as Joseph carefully guided Echo to the steps. Stopping and feeling for the first step, he led Echo carefully down them as she clutched the cello in her trembling hands. Daniel followed behind the pair. Joseph seemed to know the layout of the church as they walked past the rows of family and friends to turn right at the end. Stepping ahead of them, Daniel held open the door and let the pair go through first before he followed and shut the door quietly behind him.

Joseph lead Echo over to a couch, and carefully felt to make sure no one was there, before he sat down dragging Echo with him on his left. Daniel placed his violin on the end table nearby before coming back for Echo's cello. Carefully taking it away from her, he laid it down on its side, out of the way, and laid the bow across its side as he had seen Echo do so often in the past.

"Echo," Joseph said, "I know this is hard on you right now because you feel responsible for my mother's death but you're not. It was just her time to go."

"Although it is true that some accidents can be prevented," Joseph continued, "they are nevertheless a part of everyday living. No one is immune to accidents. Echo, you yourself have had your fair share of them, but no one should be required to carry a heavier burden of responsibility than is necessary."

"Lizzie is gone now," Joseph stated, "but the beautiful memories we shared with her will be ours forever, and we can look forward to seeing her again with outstretched arms welcoming us back into her life."

"Death is not what some people imagine. It is only like going into another room. In that other room we shall find women, men, and sweet children we have loved and lost. We know that life is a mixture of bitter and sweet, but despair is never the answer Echo; hope is."

"Hope is the anchor for our soul. When my mother was having trouble with a pregnancy before Eden was born she went to the doctor and was told that she would probably lose the baby. My mother came home and told us: _But I can't give up until all reason for hope is gone. I owe this much to my unborn child."_

"I was one at the time and still remember the incident well to this day. Three days later Mother miscarried and wrote in her diary about the experience."

Joseph tipped his head up slightly as he recalled the words for his niece.

"_For one long moment, I felt nothing. Then a profound feeling of peace flowed through me. With the peace came understanding. I knew now why I couldn't give up hope in spite of all the circumstances: you either live in hope or you live in despair. I had looked for an answer to my prayers and was not disappointed. I was healed in body and rewarded with a spirit of peace. Never before had I felt so close to my Maker than at that moment in my life."_

Joseph brought his head back down and turned to look at Echo with sightless eyes. Even though he couldn't see he knew how people were feeling. Echo had lost hope and he felt and heard her crying next to him.

"Mother became pregnant again after that and when my sister was born she named her Eden meaning paradise. Lizzie felt a state of supreme happiness that she had been blessed with this child to care for."

"Echo, time never stands still; it must steadily march on and with the marching comes change. Opportunities come and then they are gone. Please Echo, don't let the most important things pass you by as you plan for a nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. That future doesn't exist. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, here and now, doing all that we can to provide pleasant memories for the future."

"My favorite quote is "You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays"."

"That sounds familiar," Daniel said as he stood before the pair.

"It should," Echo replied wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. "I was in that musical last November."

Daniel thought back and then remembered where he had heard the line from.

"Of course," he said, "It's from 'The Music Man'. Professor Harold Hill said that to Marian Paroo."

"Correct," Joseph said. "Echo I know that both you and your father have seen a part of heaven. You must know deep down in your heart that Lizzie lives on."

"Yes," Echo replied, "I felt her next to me while we were playing."

"I heard someone singing to me," Daniel said quietly. "It sounded like Echo, only older."

"That was my sister Eden," Joseph replied. "I heard her singing to my right side while I was playing."

"Joe, I heard Mother too," Echo said, "but then towards the end of the song they both went away."

Joseph nodded his head in agreement.

"I had a feeling that Eden would come to help Mother along. Lizzie missed her something terrible when she was killed on 9/11."

"I felt that Grandma had forgiven me," Echo confided to Joseph.

"Then if you felt that, know that Lizzie has and move on," Joseph said as he reached out with his hand to find Echo's face.

Turning her face towards his own, Joseph moved his head forward until it touched Echo's forehead. After that he tenderly kissed Echo as Daniel watched on. Breaking away, Joseph released her face.

"I love you Echo," he said, "Your father and Daniel love you. And know that Lizzie loved you too."

The trio could now hear the sound of a piano being played. Echo knew the melody only too well. It was Auld Lang Syne.

"Let's go," Joseph told Echo rising up from the couch. "Father is going to kill me if I miss this part of Mother's funeral."

Echo smiled and reached a hand out to Daniel. He pulled her up from the couch and hugged her before releasing her. Turning to offer Joseph his right arm, Daniel waited while Joseph placed his left hand above his elbow. Joseph placed his fingers on the inside of Daniel's arm and his thumb on the outside. This placed him half a pace behind Daniel, so that Joseph could detect any changes that Daniel was going to make. Joseph let Daniel lead him back into the funeral, leaving their musical instruments where they were.

Echo opened the door and the three of them entered back into the services. They walked back down the aisle to the front of the church. Egon smiled up at his daughter and slid over to allow the trio room to sit down without having to climb over him. When the song was finished, Benjamin's oldest daughter closed the services with a prayer.

Daniel held Echo tightly, around her waist, and pulled her closer to his side as the prayer was being said. Echo buried her head into his left shoulder as the tears came freely.

Daniel knew that Echo was hurting. She had lost both of her grandmothers in a short period of time. Lizzie had been her last living link to her mother. Echo had told Daniel how she would listen for hours as Grandma told her stories about her mother as a child.

Daniel also knew that Echo was trying to find out where she belonged. Echo felt that the musical side of her mother wanted to come out, but the science side of her father was begging for attention too. That was one of the reasons Echo had gone back to school to become a doctor of reproductive endocrinology. She had felt that she needed to find out why her mother and her grandmother were always miscarrying children. In a way, if and when Echo ever decided to have children, she was going to have to go through the same thing she had told Daniel. Echo wanted to find an answer to that question.

Now Echo just had her residency to do, but she had hated her internship. Echo had wanted to deal with the research end of her field, but the doctor she had been assigned to, had her working the Emergency Room and delivering babies at all hours of the day and night.

Daniel knew that was why she was stressed and on the brink of a mental breakdown. Now that her grandma had died, Daniel saw the woman that he loved crumbling before his eyes.

The prayer was finished now as Daniel helped Echo to her feet. They waited while the casket was wheeled out of the church towards the back; where Daniel, Echo, and Joseph had just been. Kane followed, and his children according to birth, followed behind him.

Ben, his wife, and their four children were next. There were two great-grandchildren in this group with their parents.

Ruth's husband, Tommy followed with his son, his son's wife, and his son's daughter.

Sarah and her husband followed with two children of their own. Sarah's one son had a set of twins in each arm.

Joseph was guided by his wife as five children and three great-grandchildren followed behind their Father.

Egon took his cue and let Echo and Daniel walk ahead of him as Manny followed behind, holding the baby. Manny had not married yet. He had preferred to live at home and help his parents with the ranch.

Lizzie had left behind a loving husband, seven children, thirteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Outside the church building Lizzie's body was being loaded into a hearse to be taken back to the funeral home. Kane had a burial plot in Cedar City, Utah and Egon had figured on staying until Echo's grandmother was buried.

Peter, Dana, and Oscar were going back home with the twins and the Rivera's tomorrow, but Egon had extended his, Daniel's, and Echo's plane tickets out another week.

Egon felt Kane come up to him, and place his arm across his shoulder, as the hearse pulled away and the crowd started to break up.

"Kane," Egon said, "are we leaving for Utah tomorrow?"

"No," Kane replied, "there has been a slight change of plans."

"What happened?"

"Well son," Kane replied, "it seems that Lizzie changed her wishes right before she died. She left me a letter on my pillow. I found it when we got back from the hospital after she died. Lizzie wants to be cremated and have her ashes mixed with Ruth's."

"And," Kane continued, "she would like me to spread both her and her daughter's ashes in Grand Teton National Park."

"Can you do that in a National Park?" Egon asked Kane.

"Yes," Kane replied. "I just had to complete a special use permit application and file it at work. I did that the day after Lizzie died. As long as the scattering of ashes results in their complete dispersal with no obvious piles remaining behind we are good."

Kane squeezed Egon tighter before he spoke again.

"So, when's the last time you went climbing?"

"Kane, I haven't done that since I was in college."

"Oh, so only a few weeks ago huh," Kane teased.

"I wish," Egon replied, "I'm going on fifty-eight years old Kane. I'm getting to be an old man."

"Yeah, so I'm pushing eighty," Kane said as he took and walked Egon towards where his jeep was parked. "So come on 'old man' let's go climb a mountain together."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kylie finished washing her face and turned off the faucet. Looking up into the mirror she saw her white face pinched and sickly looking staring back at her. Kylie reached to her right and removed the white hand towel from the rack and dried her wet face with it.

Kylie's stomach started acting up again and she dropped the towel to make it just in time to the toilet.

"So much for breakfast," she said as she flushed the toilet and went back to the sink once again.

Kylie had been in the bathroom for five minutes now and she knew that she needed to leave soon. Her husband, Eduardo, would soon need in and she needed to be on her way to school.

Kylie taught three days a week, in the summer, at the Borough of Manhattan Community College a few blocks from the firehouse. She taught beginning Philosophy classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's.

Kylie and Eduardo had started living at the firehouse after they had gotten married. Egon had given them his old lab where he and his wife had lived when they had first gotten married.

Eden and Egon had stayed at the firehouse to save up money so that they could buy a house. The Spengler's were able to save money this way and they had bought their first home when their daughter was six.

Egon had explained this to Kylie and Eduardo right before they had gotten married in October of 2012. They had agreed to take Egon up on his offer to take over his old lab. Kylie smiled as she washed her face again. Living at the firehouse had been the only solution for her and Eduardo.

Eduardo's older brother Carl, who he lived with, had chastised Eduardo for wanting to marry Kylie. Eduardo had moved out of his brother's house and started staying at the firehouse in January. Eduardo didn't need his brother putting him down.

Carl was a NYC police officer, just like Eduardo's father, and with Eduardo being a "Ghostbuster" it only added to their strained relationship. Carl thought that his brother lacked respect towards authority, which included him and his father. Carl often told Eduardo that he was a jerk and a slacker.

"The only reason you passed that English class in college is because you plagiarized your paper," Carl told him one day.

Eduardo had attempted plagiarism to write his paper for college but in the end he had tossed his original paper out and had started again. When he told Carl about it his brother didn't believe him. Eduardo had finally given up on trying to get along with him.

Kylie picked up the towel from the floor and dried her face once again. Eduardo had been antisocial until he met Kylie. She had met him in Professor Spengler's Paranormal Phenomena 101 class. Her first impression of Eduardo was that he was cocky, but he did have enough integrity to take responsibility for his actions. When they had first met they had a love/hate relationship. They often bickered and got into heated arguments and debates with each other. Over the years that all changed.

Kylie finished drying her face and dropped the towel into the clothes hamper on her left. As Kylie turned and walked towards the door she remembered when Eduardo had changed his attitude towards her. They had never openly admitted their feelings towards each other until that day. She had just turned twenty years old in February and they were on a case.

Kylie remembered that a Mr. Leonard Bates had come to the firehouse about a specter in his house that was following him around. The team had found out that it was a Class 4 Psychoreactive Specter called the Wishgiver. The Wishgiver wanted Mr. Bates to be her husband and would try to kiss him. This only resulted in draining Mr. Bates of his life force. Realizing that the Wishgiver could hide in reflections, Kylie got an idea and started flirting with Mr. Bates when the ghost hid from them. Eduardo had told her that the plan was stupid, but after some corny dialogue Kylie went to kiss Mr. Bates. That's when the ghost flew out of a mirror and started to choke her.

Kylie stopped before the bathroom door, she reached up and placed her hand on her throat. It had not been a pleasant experience, being choked to death, and she never wanted to repeat that for as long as she lived.

At first Kylie had been in disbelief that she was being choked. She had difficulty in swallowing and breathing, that had only lasted momentarily, and then Kylie fought back. Trying whatever she could, to get free, it had been hopeless in the end. Kylie's vision was becoming blurry and she felt her body shutting down.

Kylie had been told that Garrett couldn't get off a clean shot and so Eduardo had taken matters into his own hands. She remembered seeing Eduardo's body thrust into her view as he tackled the Wishgiver off of her. Garrett and Roland had fired their proton pack's beams at the Wishgiver and confined it while Eduardo had taken Kylie's trap to capture the specter. Roland had told Mr. Bates that the ghost would be placed in the containment unit and that it wouldn't be bothering him again.

Before Kylie passed out, she remembered Eduardo holding her in his arms when everything was done and muttering into her ear, "Honey, nothing is going to happen to you on my watch!"

Kylie opened the door to the bathroom and moved down the hallway towards the room that she shared with Eduardo. She had spent the night in the hospital and Eduardo had never left her side. The hospital had taken a chest radiograph to rule out pulmonary edema and she had been placed on a pulse oximetry for the night. The following week, after her stay in the hospital, Kylie still had a hoarse voice and she had been scheduled for an laryngoscopy the following day. They had evaluated her vocal cords and trachea and found them to be fine. Kylie was warned that if she had any progressive worsening of symptoms that she was to see her doctor right away.

Because of her "accident" as the team called it, Eduardo became overly protective of her. His affections for her caused him to be concerned for her safety, to the point where he put himself in harms way to save her. This would happen when Kylie would try to get off a shot with her proton pistol. Eduardo, thinking that she would get hurt, would come and push her out of the way. After this happened twice Echo had taken Eduardo aside and talked to him.

"Eduardo," Echo told him, "I know that you are concerned for Kylie's safety but you can't keep pushing her out of the way. One or the other of you are going to get hurt and then where are we going to be? I can't run this business by myself. I have work and school at the university that takes up most of my time. That is why my father and Ray hired you guys. You need to make this a priority. Work as a team and everything will work out for the best."

They had started working better as a team and Eduardo's affections for Kylie grew more and more in the year that past. Eventually he had asked for Kylie's hand in marriage. This had happened after Eduardo had gotten hurt on the job. He had fallen down into a small cave near Harlem Meer in Central Park. Doctor Echo Spengler had found Eduardo and saved his life, before her own life was nearly taken from her.

Eduardo had received a dislocated shoulder, a couple of broken ribs, and a laceration above his right eye from the incident. Kylie knew that he was lucky to be alive and had never left his side while he was in the hospital for two nights. He had gotten off pretty well compared to Doctor Spengler. She had ended up with a broken leg and was in a coma for a week after the accident.

Kylie stopped at the door to her room. She had helped Eduardo through his physical therapy for several months afterwards. In the end it had all paid off and he was back to himself when they married on the thirty-first of October. Since Kylie liked anything to do with the occult, Eduardo had suggested to her that they marry on Halloween. Kylie had jumped at the suggestion and all of the guests had arrived dressed up in costume.

Kylie clutched her stomach. It was acting up again and she knew that she was in for a long day. They had arrived back in New York City on Sunday. Professor Spengler, Doctor Spengler, and Daniel McQuarrie were still in Wyoming. They wouldn't be back until next week because of Lizzie Parnell's death. Kylie knew that she couldn't be getting sick at a time like this. Garrett and Roland were both on vacation and would be returning in a few days. The only ones left to run the business were her, Eduardo, and Doctor Venkman if they needed an extra hand. Doctor Stantz was still in China with his wife. They hadn't heard from him in a while and she hoped that he was well.

Winston wasn't going to be of any help to them either as his wife was just getting out of the hospital. She had been in the hospital for three weeks and Winston was worried that her uterine cancer had come back. Iris had been diagnosed with uterine cancer when she had gotten off of her tour of Vietnam. Iris had gone through chemotherapy and she had thought that she was free and clear.

Kylie cried out as she fell to the floor. "This isn't good," she thought to herself as she dropped her head to the ground in front of her. Kylie heard the bedroom door open but she couldn't lift her head to see if it was Eduardo.

His voice came to her as she felt his hand lift her black hair out of her face.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"My stomach's acting up."

"Must have been that left over pizza that I didn't put away in the fridge that you ate last night."

"Yeah," Kylie said, "you may be right."

Kylie felt Eduardo's hands running down her back. How was she going to make it to school? Eduardo must have been thinking the same thing as he pulled her close to him. Placing his left hand under her legs, Eduardo lifted her up and carried her into their room.

"There is going to be no school for you today," Eduardo said as he placed her in the full size bed that had once been Egon's.

"I have to go," Kylie protested, "It's the first week of classes. I can't call in sick."

"I'll go for you," Eduardo said as he removed her shoes from her feet. "You always have really well written notes. I'll just read through them and get the students to discuss the lesson amongst themselves."

Kylie snorted, "That's not going to happen."

"Why?"

"Because," Kylie teased him, "my students are way smarter than you. They are going to be talking circles around you and you won't know what they are saying."

"Hey there missy," Eduardo said dropping her shoes on the floor and pointing a finger her way, "I am just as smart as your students."

"Yeah," Kylie replied as she pulled her legs up to her chest.

"Yeah," Eduardo retorted back, "and I'll prove it. Ask me anything."

"Anything?"

"Yeah, you hear me right, spooky little lady. Anything."

"Okay," Kylie said smiling slyly up at him, "What is Sisyphus' job?"

"Sisyphus?" Eduardo asked taken back by the question. "I don't think he has anything to do with philosophy."

"He has everything to do with philosophy. If you want to teach my class you had better know what you are in for. My class is reading Albert Camus' book "The Myth of Sisyphus". So brainiac, I will ask you again. What is Sisyphus' job?"

"He's Greek to me," Eduardo replied placing a hand on his red goatee, rubbing it.

"I'll give you one point for that," Kylie said teasing him. "Sisyphus was King of Ephyra in Greek Mythology."

"Greek Mythology huh," Eduardo said furling his brows at Kylie, "You say Sisyphus' job? Now let me think…I've read "The Odyssey" by Homer and Sisyphus wasn't mentioned in there, so that must mean that he is in Homer's earlier work "The Iliad"."

"Wrong buddy," Kylie said. "I'll take back that point I just gave you, although from Homer onwards Sisyphus was famed as the craftiest of men."

"Craftiest of men?" Eduardo questioned dropping his hand from his face. "Sorry Kylie he is just not ringing a bell."

"I told you my students were smarter than you," Kylie said as she tried to sit up. "Now you see why I have to go and teach. Oh…" Kylie moaned trailing off as she put her head between her legs.

"Not today Honey," Eduardo said as he sat down beside her on the bed. "I may not be smart enough to know what Sisyphus' job was, but I do know that you can't even stand up."

"Sisyphus' job was that he had to roll a boulder up a hill," said a voice from the doorway.

Kylie and Eduardo looked up together to see Harry Tully standing there.

"Dad's here to drive you to the college but it looks to me like you're not going. I'll let him know," Harry said as he turned away.

"Hey Harry," Eduardo called, "How do you know about Sisyphus?"

Harry stopped and turned around to face Eduardo.

"Eddie, did you ever pay attention in school? You learn about Sisyphus studying Greek Mythology. As punishment for tricking Thanatos, the god of death, Sisyphus was to roll an immense boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down before he got to the top. He would have to go back down the hill to get it and start all over again."

"Sisyphus was to do this for all eternity. Now the philosophical writer Camus saw Sisyphus as the absurd hero who lives life to the fullest, hates death, and is condemned to a meaningless task."

Harry turned around and started back down the hallway to the stairs that led to the first floor.

"I'm going to tell Dad what is happening," Harry said as his voice drifted away from them.

"Feel better," were his final words as Eduardo placed his left arm around his wife.

"Great," Eduardo sighed, "even the seventeen year old is brighter than me."

"Don't feel bad," Kylie laughed, "I use Harry as my pretend audience to lecture to before I go to school."

"Why don't you lecture to me?"

"Well," Kylie said as her stomach took a turn for the worse. Trying to ignore it Kylie looked towards her husband. "Let's just for once pretend that you are in my class."

"Okay."

"Why is Camus interested in Sisyphus' thoughts when he marches back down the mountain to start anew?"

"I have no idea Kylie."

"See, that's why I don't lecture to you. Now Harry at least would state that Sisyphus' thoughts would be that he is mad. Here he is, pushing this stupid rock up a mountain only to be mere inches from the top, thereby completing his task, to have it roll back down to the bottom."

"So."

"So," Kylie said to her husband, "Don't you see Eduardo that when Sisyphus has to start again it is truly a tragic moment. Sisyphus has become conscious of his wretched condition and he has lost hope. Camus claims that when Sisyphus acknowledges the futility of his task and the certainty of his fate, then he is freed to realize the absurdity of his situation. In this way Sisyphus can reach a state of contented acceptance."

"Eduardo," Kylie continued as she took his right hand in hers, "Sisyphus can be used as a model in our own lives. He's just a man who does what needs to be done. The irony of it all is understanding that your life may be completely meaningless, but you continue to carry on with a grin."

"Like the meaning of life stuff?" Eduardo asked squeezing her hand. "The philosophical old questions of; Where do we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going when we die?"

"Yes," Kylie said her eyes lighting up as she pulled her husband's face towards hers and kissed him.

Releasing him Kylie said, "You really are smart Eduardo. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks," he said, "I won't, but I am still going to call the college to let them know that you will not be in today."

Kylie sat on the bed and watched as Eduardo walked towards the door and disappeared from view. How she loved that man even though he wasn't good at mathematics, hated tuna, mayonnaise, and didn't have a driver's license.

"Eduardo's not so bad once you scratch the surface," she told Professor Spengler one day.

While Eduardo would openly admit his true feelings for her, Kylie was a girl that did not expose her feelings openly. She had learned to express them to her husband over the years and now could show her love to him. She let Eduardo know that he was important to her and defended him when others treated him disrespectfully.

Kylie smiled as she thought about their time together in Wyoming. Eduardo and her had finally been able to relax and enjoy each other's company to its fullest. With Kylie's college schedule and Eduardo working for Doctor Stantz and Professor Spengler, they hadn't had a moment to themselves. When they did grab time alone, neither one of them had felt like being romantic. All of that changed during their trip to the Parnell's. Eduardo had kissed her body making her feel tingly all over. He knew what she liked and would please her every chance he got on their trip.

Kylie's stomach took a turn for the worse and she reached down for the waste basket at the head of the bed. She made it in time and felt worse, hanging her head over the basket.

"Well look at what the cat dragged in," said a woman's voice from the doorway. "You're not even back a full week and now this."

Kylie looked up to see Janine standing in the doorway.

"Janine," Kylie said before she fell back into the basket with her face.

Janine quickly crossed to sit by Kylie's side as she took Kylie's hair and pulled it out of the way for her.

When Kylie was done she raised her face up.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Sorry?" Janine questioned Kylie as she took the waste basket away from her and set it on the floor. "What are you sorry for? It's just a part of what we go through as women."

"What are you talking about Janine?" Kylie questioned, looking the receptionist in the face. "A part of what? Eating bad left over pizza?"

"This has nothing to do with that pizza you ate."

"Yes it does Janine. I just have food poisoning. I'll be good in a couple of days. I have all the symptoms; nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. I'm sure I have a fever too."

Janine placed her right hand on Kylie's forehead and shook her head.

"You don't have a fever, but I think I do know what you have," Janine said as she removed her hand from Kylie's forehead.

"What do I have?"

Janine smiled at the twenty-five year old woman beside her. How could Kylie a bright college student, not see the obvious Janine wondered as she got up off of the bed and helped Kylie lie back down. Janine had felt the same way as Kylie did now and it wasn't going to get any better in a couple of days.

"Kylie when was your last cycle?"

"Oh that's easy," Kylie said as she laid down on the bed. "I started spotting on Wednesday while teaching so any day now I should start."

"I don't think so," Janine said as she picked up the waste basket to empty it in the bathroom.

"Sandy!" Janine hollered out of the open door, "can you come up here a moment please."

Footsteps could be heard on the metal stairs and soon a handsome young teenage boy with dark brown hair, that stuck up, with light green eyes, that hid behind a pair of rimless rectangular shaped glasses, stood in the doorway.

"Yes Mama?" Sandy asked.

"Can you do me a favor and run down to the store for some saltine crackers and ginger tea?"

"Sure," Sandy replied as he turned and left.

"Harry!" Sandy shouted taking the steps two at a time, "Kylie's going to have a baby! You owe me ten bucks!"

"Baby!" Kylie said shocked her eyes opening wide in surprise. "I'm not having a baby! I'm just sick."

"Maybe," Janine said as she carried the waste basket and went to leave the room.

Stopping at the door Janine turned towards Kylie with a smile on her face.

"Next time dear remember that canvas tents are not sound proof. Sandy and Harry heard everything that you and Eduardo were doing. Although I did have to explain a lot of your sayings to Harry."

Kylie watched as Janine left the room calling back over her shoulder to her, "I'll call Doctor Stringham and have him come with Grace after work and check you out, just to be sure. Try and get some rest Kylie, it will help."

Sighing Kylie closed her eyes. "Just Great!" she said embarrassed that everyone knew what she and Eduardo had been doing. How stupid could she be? When they were at the firehouse no one was around, and she and Eduardo had loved each other to their hearts content. They were never worried about who heard them in the night and had grown into a comfortable routine. They had forgotten that others were around when they went on vacation and had loved each other on more than one occasion.

Kylie ran her hand down her face. She felt that she needed to apologize to everyone now and wondered if what Sandy said was true. Could she be pregnant? Her and Eduardo were not using protection but they also were not outright hoping for a child so soon.

Kylie shook her head and pulled the blanket that sat at the foot of the bed over her. No she wasn't pregnant. It was too soon. She had food poisoning, that was all she said trying to convince herself that it was true.

Kylie's mind wondered back to her time in Wyoming as sleep started to overtake her. Pleasant memories of her and Eduardo together in each others arms, satisfying each others needs. Maybe Janine was right. The product of their love could result in a child. She was a little bit scared of what Eduardo was going to say when he found out, but having known Eduardo for this long, Kylie knew it would be alright in the end.

"People can change," she muttered in her sleep.

She had seen Eduardo change and she had changed also. Whatever the outcome was, sick or pregnant, Kylie knew that Eduardo wouldn't leave her. That was a promise that he had made to her on their wedding day.

"I'll stand by you always Kylie," Eduardo said reciting the words he had written for his wedding vow to her.

Holding her hand Eduardo continued, "Kylie I love you more than life itself. Love is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Eduardo's love was all encompassing all sacrificing. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to see her happy, but would having a baby strengthen her marriage to him or break it?

"A child is like the fruit of your labor of love with a man," Kylie's Great-Grandmother Rose told her before she died. "It can bring you closer and it can tear you down also. The key is communication before and after the baby is born."

"If you plant love and have no fruit it will be like a barren tree and leaves no legacy."

Kylie hoped her great-grandmother was right. She needed Eduardo by her side fighting with her, not against her.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Winston quickly reached over and turned the ringing alarm clock off. The clock's face read four in the morning and he didn't want to wake his wife. She had just come home from the hospital on Friday and was still tired.

Rolling to his left Winston regarded his wife who was sleeping next to him. Her black curly hair lay in a clump behind her on the pillow. She was facing him, lying on her right side. The alarm clock's noisy blaring hadn't woken her up and that troubled him. Iris was a person who was always 'on guard'. She saw the tiniest movements out of the corner of her eye and could hear things long before others heard them.

With Iris not being awoken by the alarm clock Winston knew that she was sick. But Iris didn't have the flu or a cold. The doctors were looking into something beyond that.

Iris had had uterine cancer when she was on her last tour in Vietnam. Iris had diagnosed it herself as she was a registered nurse with the Army at the time. She had been one of a few women who served on the front lines with the soldiers. Her commander Captain George Moody had requested her as part of his unit after her first tour. Iris had been a nurse in the local hospital where the casualties were sent. She and Winston would often talk for hours about their time spent in Vietnam.

"The military perceived me, a woman soldier, as more of a helpmate and often times did not properly train me for dangerous situations," Iris told Winston.

"Why didn't you just stay stateside instead?" Winston asked.

"Are you kidding?" Iris questioned back. "Given the absence of equal opportunity in American institutions at the time, I was lucky to get into my nursing degree."

"Then why did you go?"

"For the same reasons you enlisted," Iris stated. "The military was one of the few places where a black American could expect to get a fair shake."

Before Iris's first tour of 'Nam she had been given mock set-ups of battlefield casualties. This was supposed to prepare her for the real war. But nothing had prepared her for when the first wounded soldier had been placed under her care.

The artillery used during the war was designed to inflict massive, multiple injuries. And beyond the guns was napalm, white phosphorous, and "antipersonnel" bombs. Napalm and phosphorous would burn the soldiers' skin right down to the bone.

Iris had told Winston about her so-called "Orientation" when she had first arrived in Vietnam.

"I was basically thrown into bloody hell," Iris said to Winston one night after they were recently married. "A newly wounded casualty that had been hit with napalm lay before me. The surgeon handed me a scalpel and said _"Don't just stand there. He's going to lose that arm anyway. Cut it off!" _and so I did. I remember the sound of the arm hitting the pail and that was the end of my "Orientation"."

Iris's first tour of duty had ended when she was shot in the leg. She was in Chu Chi at the time and had been awakened in the middle of the night because they were being overrun by the Viet Cong. She had gathered in the kitchen, with her fellow nurses, while the soldiers were outside fighting.

Iris had looked through a window to see United States troops under ambush and shouting for a medic. Defying direct orders from her commander at the time to 'stay to ground' Iris had run through the Viet Cong gunfire to save the lives of her fellow soldiers.

That was one reason that Captain Moody wanted her. He was in charge of a unit of all African-American men whose job was to go behind enemy lines to extract U.S. troops. They needed a medic to complete the unit, but none of the surgeons would go.

Even though African Americans made up 13.5% of the U.S. population at the time with 10.6% serving in the war, it was their 20% casualties rating that had white soldiers staying away from the blacks.

Iris had taken Captain Moody up on his offer and hadn't regretted it. The men in her unit had taught Iris to defend herself with only her hands. This had come back to help her save her old roommate's life one night.

When Iris was in Vietnam she had felt pain in her pelvis upon urinating. She figured she had a urinary tract infection and hadn't given it a second thought until she had abnormal vaginal bleeding between her cycles. Coming back to the hospital, after they had been out in the field, Iris had an endometrial biopsy done in Saigon. When Iris looked under the microscope she saw that the tissue sample had cancer cells in it. Iris had kept her mouth shut until she was released from her tour of duty two months later.

Back in the states, Iris had a transvaginal ultrasound done. The doctors told her she had Stage II cancer which had spread to the outer layer of the uterus, including her fallopian tubes and ovaries. Iris had a radical hysterectomy done and underwent chemotherapy. She had been free of cancer since then.

Winston slowly climbed out of bed. He had to be into work at five o'clock. Iris not hearing him move bothered him even more. She was always up before the alarm went off and would be woken up by his mere turning on his side in bed.

Lord only knew what the pair had been through in Vietnam. Winston still had nightmares about it and Iris had not gone back to nursing because of it.

Iris had turned to her hobby of sewing clothes and now owned her own line of wedding dresses.

Winston had given up flying helicopters and had worked for his dad on his construction site before he had taken a job with the Ghostbusters.

Winston crossed the room to the bathroom and closed the door before he turned on the lights. Turning the water on for the shower, he let it heat up while he undressed.

Winston had met Iris through being a Ghostbuster. It was back in 1989 when the four men had come back together as a team. Egon was engaged to Iris's roommate, Eden, at the time. Iris had heard something in their bathtub's drain and had asked Egon for his help.

Winston stepped into the hot shower and smiled as he first remembered meeting Iris.

She had been sick, depressed he found out later, standing there in the doorway of her bedroom, in her underwear, with a white bathrobe held closed around her. Winston had introduced himself and had sat by her on her couch while Egon and Ray had checked out her bathroom.

He had seen an ugly round scar on the front of her leg. He knew it was from a bullet wound and after talking to her had guessed it was from Vietnam. Iris's scar on her face hadn't bothered him at all either. Winston had a four inch scar down the back of his left leg courtesy of hand to hand combat with the Viet Cong when his helicopter had gone down.

Iris's four inch scar from the corner of her mouth up to the bottom of her right ear, that Winston had figured she had gotten in Vietnam also, had been caused by Eden's old boyfriend.

Iris had saved Eden's life when Eden's boyfriend had tried to kill her. Iris had killed Eden's boyfriend by breaking his neck but not before he had used the knife he had on him to cut Iris's face open.

Beneath Iris's exterior he had discovered a beautiful, strong, and courageous woman. Egon had started the process of bring Iris out of her shell and Winston had completed it by asking for her hand in marriage.

Winston had been the third Ghostbuster to get married. Egon had married Eden on the first of January in 1990 after they had battled Vigo. Peter had married Dana Barrett two years later in June. Winston had married Iris on July 4th, 1994, and finally Ray had married Melody in June of 1996.

Winston turned off the shower and grabbed the towel from the rack. He was going to be late for work if he didn't move quicker. Winston knew that his commander would look the other way because of his wife being sick, but he didn't want to hear it from the men under his leadership.

Winston stepped out of the shower wrapping the towel around his waist. He turned out the bathroom's light before he opened the door. Iris was still sleeping in their bed. Winston quietly crossed to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Producing a pair of foliage green socks, a sand colored belt, and a pair of underwear, Winston sat down in the nearby chair and changed. When he was finished Winston got up and went to the open closet leaving the belt and towel on the chair.

He was glad he didn't have to slide open the closet as he reached inside for his ABU uniform. The Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) had replaced the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) on the first of November 2011. Based on the Vietnam-era tiger stripe camouflage pattern, the uniform consisted of four soft earth tones; tan, grey, green, and blue, but raised complaints from the airman who had to wear them.

The complaints included the inability to keep the airman cool while working in desert conditions due to the thickness of the material. The large interior "map" pockets were hard to get to and involved unbuttoning the shirt first. Lack of storage space and the low ease of use with government issued personal body armor were another downside of the uniform.

Winston pulled the sand colored T-shirt on over his head and then reached for his pants. The pants had a button fly with two lower leg cargo pockets and a tool pouch (with two pen pockets) on the right hand side. Tucking his T-shirt into his pants Winston reached for his jacket. The jacket consisted of two chest pockets and two lower front pockets. There was a small pocket on the left forearm for holding two pens. "Zeddemore" was embroidered in midnight-blue thread and attached with Velcro over the top left hand side pocket of the jacket.

Winston bent down and retrieved his "Maintainer" style, sage green colored leather boots from the bottom of the closet. Walking back over to the chair, Winston placed the boots on the floor. He reached for his belt and ran it through the belt loops on his pants before he sat down to put his boots on.

The boots reminded Winston of his days as a Ghostbuster. Back then the boots had been black in color and they wore a khaki flight suite when on the job. The only time Winston was to wear a flight suit these days was if he had to fly.

Winston had been assigned to Joint Base Andrews formally known as Andrews Air Force Base last year. Iris and him had moved to Brandywine, Maryland ten miles from the base. Winston had been assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing Air Mobility Command. He, and his fellow Airmen, were responsible for worldwide special air mission airlifts for the President, Vice President, and other U.S. Senior leaders. Winston had flown Air Force One and Air Force Two a couple of times since being assigned to the 89th Airlift Wing.

Wrapping the extra lace around the top of his boots once, Winston tucked the ends into the boots and stood up. Grabbing the bath towel he tossed it, like a basketball, into the clothes hamper by the bathroom door.

Crossing to his wife's side of the bed Winston carefully sat down and leaned over and kissed Iris on her forehead.

Iris stirred but didn't wake up. Now Winston knew that something wasn't right.

"Iris," he said softly placing his right hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her.

Iris slowly rolled over to her left side and opened her eyes.

"Is it four o'clock already?" she asked.

"No," Winston replied, "it's four fifteen. I'm leaving for work. I'll be back for supper. I love you."

"I love you too," Iris said closing her eyes to fall back to sleep.

Winston frowned as he got up from the bed. Iris always got up when he did and walked him to the door. This wasn't her. Quietly closing the bedroom door, Winston walked down the hallway to look into his daughter's bedroom. Shelly lay asleep under her purple/green square patterned comforter. Smiling Winston pulled her door shut before he turned towards the stairs.

Taking them two at a time Winston wished for his shift to be over with. He really needed to find out what was wrong with his wife.

Winston grabbed the keys and his cell phone on the table by the front door and let himself outside as he crossed to the black Land Rover. He knew that he was going to have to give Egon's daughter a call later that day.

Winston opened the vehicle's door and climbed inside, inserting the key as he did so. Turning the car's engine over, Winston placed his right arm on the passenger side head rest and turned his head to the rear. Making sure that no one was behind him, Winston backed the Land Rover out of the driveway.

When he was out of the driveway Winston brought his right arm forward and turned around to face forward, placing the car in drive as he did so.

The commute to Joint Andrews Base was a nice drive and Winston placed his sunglasses on, settling back to think about how the doctors had treated Iris.

While military doctors were supposed to be the best, Winston had his doubts. He was sure that Iris had uterine cancer again but had been told by the doctors that there was no way that could be as Iris didn't have any 'female parts' left.

Winston knew that Egon's daughter, Echo, was a doctor of reproductive medicine and could answer some of his questions that he still had. Echo, her father, and Daniel had been detained in Wyoming because of her grandmother's untimely death and Winston didn't have the heart to bring up the subject of his wife to Echo at the time he had called. The trio had returned yesterday and Winston was going to make it a point to reach out to Echo today.

The military doctors had looked into other areas of Iris's body for the problem of why she was tired and achy all the time, but nothing had turned up and they had sent Iris home. Winston and Shelly had stayed at the hospital the whole time that Iris had been there.

Winston smiled to himself as he turned left onto Branch Ave/Rt 5 heading north towards the base. Shelly. They were lucky to have gotten the young teenager.

Shelly's family had been killed and she was in an orphanage in Africa when Winston had met her. He had flown the Vice President there in Air Force Two and had been allowed to accompany the Vice President when he had toured the local area.

Shelly had been sitting on her make-shift bed in the corner when the Vice President had gone through the orphanage. Shelly was wearing a dirty, worn, pink dress that had rips and split seams. When Winston had passed her she had reached out her hand and caught a hold of his wrist. Winston had stopped and talked to her as the Vice President and his security guards had continued on.

"Papa?" she had timidly asked.

"No sweetie," Winston had replied, "Do I look like him?"

"Yes," the answer came back.

Winston had found out that Shelly was the only one left in her family. She had gone back into her house for her sister's doll when her parents had been killed by a gunman driving by. No one had survived and Shelly had been placed in the local orphanage. Being a young teenager she was only going to be allowed to stay at the orphanage until she turned sixteen, then she had to leave. She had been fourteen years old at the time when Winston had met her.

Winston liked the young scared girl before him and had told Iris about her when he had come back home. Iris listened as her husband had told her the story about Shelly and had agreed with him that something must be done.

Teenage girls in orphanages were rarely chosen to go to a permanent home and as a couple they had decided that they should adopt Shelly.

Six months later Iris and Winston had traveled back from Africa bringing Shelly home. Shelly had needed medical attention and counseling for what she had seen. Winston and Iris knew what she was going through. War wasn't pretty, whether it be in Vietnam or Iraqi Freedom, and had gone with her to group therapy. The three of them had become closer as a family, but Shelly would often seek out Winston if she had a nightmare.

Winston pulled off of Route 5 at the Coventry Way exit and turned right onto Old Alexandria Ferry Road. Today was the last day of maintenance on Air Force One and he was looking forward to walking the familiar halls of the plane.

Turning left onto Virginia Avenue, Winston stopped at the Virginia Gate to show his identification. Winston was greeted to a salute by the soldier on duty.

"Colonel."

"Private."

Winston had made colonel three months ago and it still surprised him when he was looked up too.

"You deserve it," Iris had told him after the ceremony. "The eagle's look good too."

In the United States Air Force the insignia for the rank of colonel is a silver eagle which is a stylized representation of the eagle dominating the Great Seal of the United States. However, in simplification of the Great Seal image, the insignia lacks the scroll in the eagle's mouth and the rosette above its head. The insignia is worn on the officer's left side, such that the eagle always faces forward to the wearer's front. A mirror-image version is worn on the right.

Winston pulled away from the gate and drove up the familiar drive to the hanger where the plane sat. Pulling around to the back of the hanger Winston parked the Land Rover and turned off the car's ignition. Crossing his arms over the steering wheel and taking off his sunglasses, he looked out the front of the car's window to where the blue and white Boeing 747-200B sat. Air Force One was looking to be replaced in 2017 by either the Boeing 747-8 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The USAF Air Mobility Command had been charged with looking for possible replacements as the old plane had become less cost-effective to operate.

He shook his head in disbelief. Here he was a pilot again and this time he was flying planes full of important people, and not helicopters through dense forest jungles trying to find soldiers on the ground who blended in with the surroundings. Winston sighed and got out of the car, locking it as he did so. Walking into the hanger Winston greeted the men who were there.

"Good morning Airmen," Winston said as he crossed to the desk in the corner and placed his car keys into a glass dish that sat on the edge. "Shall we get started? If we can get the maintenance done on the 'old girl' then we can get home early."

"Still worried about your wife, Sir?" an Airman asked.

"Yes," Winston replied as he picked up a clipboard and walked towards the plane in the hanger.

"Any word yet on what the doctors think she might have, Sir?" the same Airman asked following Winston.

"No," Winston replied as he walked up the metal 'air-stairs' to the plane's executive door.

"Well," the airman replied, "my wife and I have you in our prayers, Sir."

"Thanks," Winston replied as he entered the plane, "and Airman I've told you before, if none of the 'bigwigs' are around you can drop the Sir."

"Yes, Si…," the Airman trailed off remembering what the colonel had just said to him.

"Sorry," the Airman said, "it's the military. Force of habit you know."

"Yea Bunker," Winston said calling the Airman by his last name and placing his right hand on the man's shoulder, "I know. Habits are hard to break."

With that being said the two men went to work. Winston and his men were running what the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA referred to as a 'B' check. This was performed every 4-6 months and took about 1-3 days and 150 man-hours to complete. Winston's men were on their third day, that is why Winston hoped to be done in time for supper.

Lunch time came and went as two o'clock found Winston in the cockpit in the co-pilot's seat finishing a diagnostic test of the equipment. Looking up from the control panel Winston could see men outside running towards jeeps and soon after that he heard his name being called.

"Colonel!"

"Yes," Winston replied rising from his seat, "I'm in the cockpit."

Airman Bunker from this morning rounded the corner and hurried up the steps to the communications room as Winston stepped out of the cockpit.

"Colonel," Bunker said, "we are being called to a general assembly, Sir."

"What happened?" Winston asked as he passed through the President's office to meet Bunker in the communications room.

"I don't know, Sir," the Airman replied as he exited the plane through the executive entrance and took the metal steps two at a time down to the bottom.

"Dang," Winston said under his breath following Bunker.

"Chief Master Sergeant Williams used stronger language than that, Sir," Bunker replied as he hit the bottom of the stairs and started jogging towards the military jeep that was pulling up in front of the hanger.

Winston just nodded his head. He knew what a general assembly involved. It usually meant that the base had been placed on alert and he wasn't likely getting home for supper. Pulling his cell phone out of his left pocket on his pants Winston hit the call home button and waited for Iris to pick up on the other end.

"Hi, Winston," Shelly's voice came back to him instead.

"Shelly!" Winston said as he got into the front seat of the waiting jeep. "Where's your mother?"

"She is still sleeping. Winston I'm worried about her."

"I know sweetie," Winston replied as the other men under his command piled into the back of the jeep. "Look I may not have much time. I've been called to a general assembly meeting. Can you please tell Iris that I may not be home for supper like I promised?"

"Sure Winston," Shelly replied, "and I'll watch over Iris for you too."

"Thanks sweetie," Winston replied as he reached out and placed a hand on the dashboard as the Airman who was driving the jeep put it into gear and pulled out across the airfield heading to the north.

Whatever had happened wasn't good. Winston saw everyone on the base hurrying towards the parade grounds and knew that he was probably going to see some flight time as the men started to gather.

The driver of the jeep stopped to drop Winston's men off before he took Winston to the front of the parade grounds where there was a grandstand. The driver once again stopped the jeep to let Winston out before he pulled away.

Winston climbed the four steps to the stage that only a few months ago he had stood on when they had made him a colonel. As he took his seat he looked out on the Air Force personnel that had gathered. The men and women were talking to each other and Winston caught some of their words that were being spoken as more military brass came up on the stage and sat next to him.

"Haven't you heard?"

"No, heard what?"

"The Sistine Chapel has disappeared."

"What do you mean disappeared?"

"Poof! Just like that. Vanished into thin air."

"How's that possible?"

"Yes," Winston thought to himself. "How does a building that size just vanish into nothing."

Winston heard his cell phone ringing but he couldn't answer it as the General Air Force Chief of Staff Christopher Kenelm of Joint Base Edwards walked onto the stage. Winston reached into his pant's pocket to silence the phone as he stood from his seat and the assembly came to attention.

"Parade rest," General Kenelm announced into the microphone.

General Kenelm thanked everyone for coming so quickly and then proceeded to tell the Airmen why they were there.

"There is a rumor that has been going around that the Sistine Chapel has vanished. This rumor is true. At exactly 13:30 hours, our time, the chapel that holds the works of the famous artist's Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, and Pinturicchio among others has vanished off of the face of planet earth. The Air Force and other military personnel have been called in to help the local authorities to investigate. I want the following people to stay when I dismiss this assembly."

"Chief Master Sergeant Williams, Captain Bunker, Colonel Zeddemore, and Colonel Mitchell. Dismissed."

Winston sat in his seat while the others around him got up to leave. Now he knew he wasn't going to be going home anytime soon. What did the Air Force need with him and his officer Bunker? Colonel Mitchell and Sergeant Williams were also with the 89th Airlift Wing. Were the president and vice president both planning on visiting Vatican City? These were questions that Winston couldn't answer as General Kenelm turned towards him and beckoned for him to follow.

Winston rose from his seat and followed behind the General towards another waiting jeep. At the bottom of the stairs he was greeted by Captain Bunker and Sergeant Williams.

"Colonel," the two men said together and fell into step behind General Kenelm and Winston.

General Kenelm got into the waiting jeep and motioned for the three men to do the same. Colonel Mitchell wasn't with the group Winston noticed as he climbed into the back of the jeep and the driver took off.

Soon the driver stopped at the General's office building and Winston along with the other Airmen followed General Kenelm inside. The General's office suited the man's own taste. Decorated with neutral colors of light brown paint and tan furniture, Winston took a seat in a straight back chair as General Kenelm indicated with his right hand to the men to be seated. The General then sat down on the back edge of his mahogany desk as he addressed the men before him.

"Colonel Mitchell will meet you after I am done talking to you here," General Kenelm said. "You maybe wondering why I called you all here. I need for you Chief Master Sergeant Williams and for you Captain Bunker to fly the Vice President to Vatican City. Your liaison will be Colonel Mitchell here at Joint Base Andrews. Colonel Zeddemore I need for you to go to New York City."

Winston looked up into the General's face. He had been looking at the floor of the General's office. Under the General's Davenport desk was a rectangular rug with an inscription. The distinctive desk's shape; the top part resembling an antique school desk while the bottom half supported a pedestal desk turned sideways, was the reason that Winston could see the rug clearly. He had been reading the inscription when General Kenelm had spoken to him. Why did the General want him to go to NYC?

"Sir?" Winston questioned.

"I know it sounds weird but I need for you to contact your friends there and look into this disappearance from a different point of view if you catch my drift," the General said.

"Begging your pardon General Kenelm," Airman Bunker interrupted, "Colonel Zeddemore can't just leave. His wife is sick and he is needed at home. I can go to New York City in the Colonel's place."

General Kenelm nodded his head Bunker's way. He knew all about Colonel Zeddemore's wife. He also had a reason to send him to New York.

"I know Captain Bunker," General Kenelm answered, "but I need Colonel Zeddemore in New York. He is the only one that can talk to his friends and come up with an answer for me."

General Kenelm saw that Captain Bunker was going to say something else and raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't think I'm without a heart here Captain Bunker. I am ordering a transport for three. Colonel Zeddemore I want you to take your wife and daughter to accompany you to New York."

"Sir?" Winston said not quite understanding what was going on.

"I have my reasons," General Kenelm said. "Now you are dismissed."

The three men stood as one to leave the room, but the General called out for Winston to stay. As soon as the door was closed behind Captain Bunker and Sergeant Williams the General spoke to Winston.

"Look son," General Kenelm said, "I know what you are going through. I lost my wife to cancer last year and the military doctors didn't catch it in time. There is a reason I want you in New York. First I need for you and your friends to find a link to the disappearance of the Sistine Chapel and second I want you to take your wife to the doctors there. I know that they can find out what is wrong with her."

Winston dropped his head to the floor so that the General couldn't see the tear that had started to form in his eye. He had lost hope of finding out what was wrong with Iris. The General's offer to send them all to New York City was an answer to Winston's prayers. Now he could see Echo in person and she could examine Iris. Maybe there was something that the military doctors were missing. Winston could only hope.

"Winston," General Kenelm said gently, becoming personal with him, "the welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us."

"Didn't President Theodore Roosevelt say that?" Winston asked raising his head and wiping his eye.

"Yes, in a speech at the New York State Fair held in Syracuse on September 7th 1903 but it still applies today."

"How's that?"

"Because son," General Kenelm said placing a hand on Winston's shoulder, "Roosevelt's Square Deal is for all of us. President Roosevelt vowed not to favor any group of Americans but to be fair to all of them. We in return must treat each other honestly. We must help each other and at the same time protect those around us. If we don't then we might as well be like the German legend Faust and our souls be eternally damned."

General Kenelm turned Winston around and placed his arm around his shoulders as he walked him to the office door.

"Try not to worry," General Kenelm said as he paused to open his office door, "everything will work out."

Winston nodded his head and took a step out the open door before he stopped and turned to face the General.

"You know General Kenelm," Winston said pointing to the rug under the General's desk, "that's my favorite saying inscribed there. Thanks for everything."

Winston turned and walked through the door closing it behind him as General Kenelm turned to look at where he had been pointing. The rug under his desk had two sayings. The first one from President Theodore Roosevelt sat facing him when the General sat at his desk. He had forgotten about the other one on the other side of the desk. This quote was also by a President Roosevelt, only this President was Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). Inscribed in black thread, facing anyone who sat across the desk from him, were the words: _The only thing we have to fear is fear itself._

General Kenelm thought about what Colonel Zeddemore had just said to him. The words from FDR were given in his inaugural address during his first term in office. The country was in financial distress and the Great Depression had taken its toll on the American people. Things were not looking good and the country wanted leadership out of those perilous times.

When FDR spoke of "Fear" he wasn't talking about war, he was talking about economic fear. The fear that there was no way out of the mess that the country was in at the time. The fear that everyone was doomed to a life of misery and poverty rather than the life of Liberty and opportunity that so many had come to America for.

Somehow General Kenelm didn't think that was what Colonel Zeddemore meant. He had seen the look in the colonel's face and nodded his head in understanding. Colonel Zeddemore had been so consumed with fear, over his wife, that he had lost sight of all the good things in life, the things that were worth living for.

Colonel Zeddemore had let fear take control of his thoughts and actions until he, General Christopher Kenelm had given the man hope. The General crossed to his desk thinking about what was going to happen. "With history you always know how the story turned out," he said to himself as he sat down at his desk. The General wondered how this story would pan out.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Ray made a fist with his right hand and brought it down forcefully onto the mattress of the bed that he was in. Ray whipped his head back, closed his eyes, and bit his bottom lip all at the same time to keep from crying out in pain. He realized his mistake too late. His fist's impact with the mattress had sent a shock wave down to his right leg that lay slightly elevated and bandaged up.

"Melody why did you have to roll over like that," Ray muttered to himself as he brought his head forward again and opened his eyes.

Looking at his right leg Ray saw the pink tinged pressure bandage wrapped around his knee. He knew that underneath the bandage the metal rod from his artificial knee was sticking out through his skin and it hurt. It hurt even worse than when he had broken his knee in the first place. Echo had been the only one around to take care of him at the time.

Ray had heard his knee snap when he was with Melody last night. It was her fault that he was here, but Ray pushed it from his mind as he thought about the wonderful time they had had together.

Ray and Melody hadn't been with each other since April. Melody had stopped sleeping in the same bed with Ray after Nokomis had turned eighteen. Melody had chosen another room in the house that Ray owned.

Ray's home was an old Victorian style house that sat in New York City in the Bronx. It was a three story home with six bedrooms, three baths, a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a parlor. Melody had her choice of bedrooms to pick from as Ray's sister was deceased and her children, Allison and Robert, were no longer living with them.

Ray knew that his marriage was falling apart and he had gone to his best friend Egon for help.

"Treat her like you want to be treated," Egon had told him. "Even though you aren't the center of her world, for whatever reason, be the better person and make her your center."

Ray had slowly done so but still Melody refused to sleep with him.

"When you love your wife are you the one in charge or her?" Egon had questioned Ray.

Ray placed his right arm across his forehead. His knee was killing him.

Egon had been right. Whenever Ray and Melody had been intimate he had dictated how it was going to be. Ray had thought that he was satisfying Melody's needs when all he had been doing was satisfying his own carnal pleasures.

That was until last night. Ray smiled and closed his eyes as he remembered back to that special night.

They had just gotten back from the Loulan Ruins after finding out that Ray's sister Jean had sent their daughter Nokomis somewhere to be safe.

Opening the door to the hotel room Ray had discovered that there was only a king size bed in the room.

"I'm sorry Raymond," Melody said before he could open his mouth. "Nokomis and I share the bed. It was cheaper that way for the expedition."

"I understand," Ray said as he crossed over to the desk and pulled out the chair to sit in it. "I can always sleep on the floor."

Melody stood in the hotel room facing her husband. He looked tired and she knew that his knee was bothering him. Even though he hadn't said a word to her she could see the pain in his brow. Sleeping on the hard hotel room's floor wasn't going to help either. It was her fault that she had stopped sharing the same bed with him.

"Raymond," she said as she watched her husband slowly remove his shoes, "we're all adults here. I'm sure we can sleep together without actually sleeping together."

Ray looked up from taking his right shoe off to see Melody standing behind the bed in front of him. She stood wringing her hands together, looking anywhere but at him. At least she was trying to be civil.

"I can do that Melody," Ray said smiling. "Thank you."

Melody stopped wringing her hands together. She couldn't believe her ears. Raymond was being nice, well he had always been nice to her. She was the one with the problem and she knew that slowly, one step at a time, she could come back to the man that loved her dearly.

"I'll draw you a hot bath," Melody said turning and heading for the bathroom door.

"The bath isn't handicap equipped so you may need help in and out," Melody's voice could be heard coming from the bathroom, "Sorry."

Ray nodded his head and started to remove his shirt as he called out to her.

"It's not like we haven't seen each other before," he teased her.

"I know," Melody said coming out of the bathroom and crossing to where Ray sat.

Ray reached out his hand and took Melody's right one in his.

"Look Melody," he said, "I'm sorry about the past couple of months. I know I'm not always the easiest person to get along with. I'm an old man set in my ways, but I want you to be happy. I want for us to have a life together and I am willing to do everything within my power to make that happen. I promise."

Ray raised Melody's hand that he had been holding to his mouth, kissing the back of it, before he released it. Dropping his head to the floor Ray muttered, "Forgive me."

Melody stood there shocked, with tears threatening to overflow from her eyes. Her husband was asking to be forgiven. Forgive him? No! She should be the one asking for his forgiveness, not the other way around.

Melody dropped to her knees in front of Ray and tenderly lifted his head up.

"Forgive you? Raymond I should be the one asking for your forgiveness. I treated you horribly these past few months and all you have ever shown back to me was kindness."

"Egon taught me that," Ray said placing his hand on top of Melody's that she had placed on his left knee.

"Egon's a good friend to you."

"Yes, he is."

Melody dropped her hand from Ray's face and placed it on top of his own hand. Smiling she leaned into Ray's ear.

"Please forgive me," she said before pulling her face away from him.

"Always," Ray whispered back leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.

Pulling back he saw that he had made her blush and he liked that.

"Okay," Ray said standing up stiffly, "let's get this old smelly man in the tub Madame Bo-Peep."

Melody smiled as she helped him take off his pants. Madame Bo-Peep was his pet name for her and she had called him a crotchety old man when they had first met.

Helping Ray into the tub, Melody turned her attention to unpacking his suitcase while he soaked in the hot bath. Hot water baths had always been good for her husband since he had his first operation and when she went to check on him fifteen minutes later she found him asleep in the tub.

Crossing her arms and leaning her head onto the left side of the doorframe Melody watched as Ray slept.

"Doctor Raymond Francis Stantz," she said quietly, "what am I going to do with you."

Melody had met Ray at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She had been in charge of setting up an exhibition of Hiroshi Sugimoto's photographs in November of 1995. The exhibit opened on the twenty-first of November and ran through January 14 of the next year. Melody remembered the day well as she had been cursing at one of her students. Ray had been visiting the museum with his niece Echo, who was three at the time.

"Uncle Ray what does 'damn it all to hell' mean?" Echo had questioned when she heard Melody's shouting.

Ray had approached Melody and had asked her if she could refrain from the use of bad language when children were present.

"Go away," Melody had shouted at him, "you crotchety old man."

Ray had turned Echo around and walked away from her calling back over his shoulder, "Well you're no Madame Bo-Peep by any means."

Melody had stood there shocked at him that day. How dare he compare her to the character Octavia Beaupree from William Sydney Porter's (better know by his pen name O. Henry) romantic story Madame Bo-Peep, of the Ranches. Fuming she had gone after him to find him some time later in the cafeteria on the ground floor.

"Who the hell do you think you are Mister?!" Melody had shouted at him as Ray sat eating lunch with his niece.

"Me?" Ray questioned, "Where do you get off cursing like that?"

"I can do anything I want!" Melody shot back, "I work here."

"Maybe you shouldn't," Ray said to her as he got up and left with Echo tagging along behind him.

"Hardly love at first sight huh," Melody said shaking her head with the memory.

Ray had never gone after his professor title, allowing Melody that honor. Now here it was many years later and she finally understood why. Ray had placed her first in his life. He had quit being a "Ghostbuster" fulltime in January of 2008 because of his knee, but now she realized that he had been wanting to quit and stay home with Nokomis for sometime before that. His knee had been the excuse that he was looking for.

He had worked at night in his bookstore supporting her and Nokomis the best he could. Even though Melody earned more money than he did, Ray never let that come between them. Now here it was June 5, 2015 and Ray's 56th birthday was coming up in October.

Melody looked closer at her sleeping husband. His receding hairline with a bit of gray showing around his sideburns made her feel bad for him. He had done everything in his power to make her happy and she had been selfish, wanting more than he could physically give her.

Melody quietly walked over to the tub and knelt down on the bathmat. Taking her right hand she placed it onto Ray's left shoulder and gently shook him to wake him up.

Ray opened his eyes to see his wife smiling at him.

"Oh this can't be good," he said taking his arms out of the now cold water and placing them on the edges of the tub.

"It's fine," Melody said standing up and offering Ray her hand, "I'll help the crotchety old man out of the tub."

Ray took her proffered hand and stiffly stood up. Melody helped him out of the tub and wrapped a bath towel around his waist before leading him to the bed.

"Thanks for your help Melody," Ray said as he sat down onto the mattress.

"Well I couldn't let you wrinkle up into a prune could I?"

"I guess not," Ray said before he changed the subject. "Look Melody I know it must have been difficult for you loosing Nokomis, but just look at the way you handled yourself. No mater what happens know that I'm right behind you and I'm so proud to be a part of your life."

Standing in front of Ray Melody felt him take her right hand in his. She was sure that he was going to finish his sentence with 'again' but he hadn't. Melody squeezed Ray's hand and then sat by his side dropping her head to rest on his left shoulder.

"Raymond," Melody called softly interrupting his thoughts.

Ray opened his eyes and dropped his hand back down to his side. Melody stood above him and leaned in to kiss him on his lips before she pulled back to reveal a gentleman in a white lab coat behind her.

"This is Doctor Wei-shan," Melody said with a wave of her right hand, "He is going to be your surgeon to replace your knee."

Doctor Wei-shan bowed and then spoke to Ray in Mandarin, Melody translated for her husband.

"I'm very honored to meet you Doctor Stantz. I will be performing a revision arthroplasty on your right knee as soon as the radiographs and Magnetic Resonance Imaging results come back. Are you in any pain?"

"Some," Ray lied as Melody translated his answer to the doctor.

Melody turned to face Doctor Wei-shan but instead of translating what he was saying it seemed that she was arguing with him instead.

"Typical Melody," Ray thought. She had done the same thing on his first surgery, but in the end he had gotten his knee replaced.

Ray reached out and grabbed Melody's arm to get her to stop fighting with Doctor Wei-shan. She turned Ray's way breaking off her conversation with the doctor.

"I'm sorry Raymond," she said, "I'm just trying to get you some morphine for the pain. I saw your closed eyes and arm across your head when I walked into the room. The only time you do that is when you are in extreme pain."

Ray went to say something to her but she cut him off.

"Don't lie to me Doctor Stantz!" Melody sternly told him.

Ray released his hold on her arm and gulped. She had only called him Doctor Stantz one other time and it hadn't been good then either.

"I'm sorry," Ray said, "could you please tell Doctor Wei-shan that I am indeed in extreme pain and I'm sorry for lying to him. I just don't want to be a bother to anyone."

"You're not a bother," Melody said as she turned back to Doctor Wei-shan and politely translated Ray's words.

Doctor Wei-shan bowed once again and spoke to Melody before he left.

"They are bringing you some pain management," Melody told her husband as she pulled up a chair to sit by his right side.

"Xiexie," Ray called out to the doctor before he disappeared out the door.

"Bu Keqi," Doctor Wei-shan replied before turning and leaving the room.

"So," Melody teased her husband, "you learn one Mandarin word and you think you're an expert."

"I didn't say that Melody, but could you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Can you teach me some phrases so that I can talk to the doctors when I'm in surgery? You won't be allowed inside you know."

"I know," she said, "What do you want to learn?"

"Oh," Ray thought, "maybe something like 'I'm in pain' or 'I have to go to the bathroom'. But the most important one is 'Please get my wife for me'. Things like that."

"Okay," Melody said smiling and taking Ray's right hand in hers.

Melody taught Ray what he wanted to learn while they waited for his pain medication. Ray already had a catheter in his left arm and he was on an intravenous drip. All the nurses had to do was add another bag.

When the nurse arrived and placed the bag of morphine next to the other fluids Ray knew that relief was coming for his throbbing right leg.

"Raymond," Melody said, "I'm going to check in with the expedition."

Melody and the nurse left together and Ray laid back and closed his eyes as the morphine dripped into his intravenous tubing. Morphine always caused him to become sleepy and he let his mind wander back to his night with Melody.

Ray had kept his distance from Melody in the king size bed that night. It was easy to do so, but late in the night Melody had cuddled up next to him.

Ray was sleeping on his left side at the time and he draped his right arm over Melody's shoulder, pulling her close to his body. They had stayed that way for a couple of hours and Ray loved every moment of it.

The sweet honeydew smell of her hair, from the shampoo she had used, reminded him of their wedding night.

After Ray and Melody were married they had gone to Paris on their honeymoon. They had left right after the ceremony to catch a direct flight there. Many long hours later Ray had carried her across the threshold of the hotel room that they were staying in.

Having only gotten halfway into the room, Ray had tripped and landed on the bed with Melody underneath him. Ray had tried to apologize but Melody had started laughing. Ray found Melody's laughing contagious and had joined in with his new bride.

Ray kissed the back of Melody's head as he remembered making love to his new wife that night. It had also been the start of a family for the two, as Melody had conceived Nokomis that night.

Melody stirred in her sleep. Her right shoulder was hurting her and she suddenly felt a weight come off of it. Turning to her right she saw her husband awake and watching her. Silently, they stared at each other for what seemed like an hour before Ray reached out with his right hand to tuck her loose hair behind her left ear. As Ray withdrew his hand Melody reached out and grabbed it, interlocking her fingers between his and bringing it back to her bosom. Melody smiled at him. She loved Raymond. Deep down she knew it and she had been blinded these past couple months to his love for her. She needed him by her side and realized that she wanted him tonight as well.

"Love me?" she questioned Ray.

Melody knew that because Ray's knee was hurting him he might not be able to do what she was asking of him and would understand.

Ray always led the way in their love making and she was surprised when he answered her back differently from what he always said to her.

Ray's response had always been, "Of course", but tonight he answered Melody back with, "Only if you lead this dance."

Ray watched as Melody's eyes lit up in anticipation of her having a say in the way it was going to be tonight.

"Are you serious Raymond?" she asked.

"Of course," Ray said back, "just watch the knee okay?"

"Of course," she giggled back releasing his hand.

Ray had followed Melody's subtle, wordless hints as she kissed him. He kissed her back and when they had come up for breath Melody and risen her head up to reveal her neck to him. Ray butterfly kissed Melody's smooth neck as he watched her slowly slide the spaghetti strap of her nightgown off of her shoulder. Ray worked his way down her body, caressing, kissing, holding, and teasing her.

Slowly, deliberately, making Melody want him more, Ray used every foreplay technique that he knew on her. He let her choose the positions that she liked best as they rolled around in passionate intimacy long into the early morning hours.

Towards the end found the couple sitting on the bed facing each other with Ray's legs wrapped around Melody's waist. Her legs were under his and she had them wrapped around his waist also.

Melody was in extreme bliss, head tilted back, eyes closed, her hands exploring Ray's chest, as she loved her husband realizing she was coming close to her climax point.

Ray had his hands on Melody's buttocks guiding her to perfection. He had never in his life let her dictate how their love making was going to go and found that he liked her taking the lead. Melody was relaxed for the first time that she could remember and she moaned with pleasure. Her body was getting all tingly and she breathed out a wonderful sigh as she climaxed realizing that her lover had climaxed at the same time. Pulling his trembling body close to hers she had forgotten about his knee. She wanted to stay with him buried deep inside her, but she didn't have the strength to stay upright to do so.

Melody fell to her left taking Ray with her and realized her tragic mistake when she heard a snap and his anguished cry.

Ray realized too late what Melody was doing as he fell with her onto his right side. Because Ray's legs were wrapped around Melody's waist his right knee took the full impact of the blow when it hit the mattress and the tibial component snapped off protruding through his skin. Ray's anguished cry surprised them both.

"Raymond!" Melody cried, "I'm so sorry!" she said trying to dismount.

"Stop!" Ray cried with tears in his eyes, "I'm still inside you."

Carefully Ray pulled back so that Melody could untangle her legs from his waist. In excruciating pain, unable to move his leg, Ray laid on his right side in the bed as Melody draped the bed sheet over his naked body. Getting dressed quickly, Melody called the front desk to send the paramedics.

Ray was embarrassed when the paramedics came and asked him questions in Mandarin, Melody having to translate what they were saying to him and then having to tell them what had happened. Ray had seen Ethan standing in the doorway as the paramedics placed a catheter in his left arm, splinted his knee, and then transferred him to a stretcher. Melody refused to tell Ethan what had really happened when he asked.

"They don't need to know," Melody told Ray as the paramedics wheeled the stretcher out of the room towards the front of the hotel and the waiting ambulance.

Ray felt more embarrassed now as he was wheeled down the hallway past every member of the expedition team that had come outside their hotel room's door to see what all the commotion was about.

Melody grabbed her wallet and passport, as well as her husband's, before she turned to leave the room. Ethan was still standing in the doorway. He looked to be upset but she didn't have time to deal with him. Her husband was hurt, he needed her, and she tried to get past Ethan to be with Raymond.

"Melody," Ethan said taking her hand in his, "I'm s…," he started to say before Melody cut him off.

"Ethan," she hissed, forcefully taking her hand out of his, "not here. We'll talk later. Raymond needs me."

Ethan nodded his head and stepped aside to let her go, watching as she ran down the hallway of the hotel after her husband.

Ray's bed moving jarred him awake. What was going on? The morphine had caused him to drift off to sleep. Opening his eyes he saw Doctor Wei-shan from earlier talking to what looked like a nurse as the bed that he was in was being wheeled out of the room.

"Please get my wife for me," Ray said in Mandarin when Doctor Wei-shan stopped talking to the nurse.

The doctor said something to him which Ray didn't understand. Again Ray asked for his wife and again he got the same response from the doctor. They were outside Ray's hospital room now and heading down the hallway. Ray had no idea where they were going as all the signs he saw were in Chinese which he couldn't read. He started to panic as his bed rounded a corner and headed for the elevators.

From somewhere down the hall he had just left, he swore he heard a woman's voice calling his name. His murky mind wasn't working properly from the morphine and he realized as the elevator's doors were closing that it was Melody's voice.

"MELODY!" Ray cried out as loud as he could, but he was too late.

The elevator's doors closed behind him and he felt the elevator go up. He saw the nurse giving him something in his intravenous line as he tried to sit up. Fighting off the sudden feeling of sleep he called out for Melody once again.

"Melody," Ray slurred out before his mind became heavy with sleep.

Ray tried to keep his eyes open as Doctor Wei-shan said something to him. He could only hope that he was going for his operation. Ray's only regret as he closed his eyes and fell asleep, was that he wished he could have told Melody that he loved her.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Nokomis was hurting. Her upper body hurt the most and she desperately wanted to relieve the pressure on her back. She knew that she had been sunburned because she had taken her purple camp shirt off when she had become overheated, but something wasn't right. Nokomis' head hurt too and she was confused as she tried to open her eyes.

Slowly, painfully, Nokomis opened her eyes to reveal a small room with candles burning. She noticed that she was in a bed with a sheet pulled over her. As she lifted her hand to pull the bed sheet back she saw that it was bright red.

"Yep, I'm sunburned alright," she told herself as she carefully lifted the covers off of her body.

Nokomis immediately dropped the sheet back down.

"And naked too except for my underwear," she said. "Where are my clothes?"

Carefully Nokomis sat up, holding the sheet to her chest with her left hand. She was hurting from her sunburn but her back felt a little better now that she wasn't lying on it. Looking to her left she saw nothing but floor and wall. In front of her was a wooden door that was closed with two candle sconces hanging on the wall on either side of the door.

The iron design was simple yet elegant. A single long iron piece hung on the wall and at the end, broke off into two parts that curved up and then out, away from each other to end halfway up the original iron piece. On each end of the branch was a plate and holder for a taper candle. The four candles were off white, almost yellow in color, as Nokomis turned her head to the right. She sucked in a breath when she saw the scene before her.

Before Nokomis sat a stone fireplace with a fire that had long since gone out. Only the ashes glowed red waiting to be fed more wood that sat on the hearth just out of its reach. Next to this was a small wooden table with a pitcher, basin, and three pillar candles sitting on it. But that wasn't what had startled her the most. It was the young man that sat on the hearth next to the fire with his legs pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs, sound asleep.

He had on a blue top and black pants with glasses that were funny looking. The ends that went to his ears were not one straight piece but a string that attached to the top and bottom of the round frames and then looped around his ears. Somehow he looked vaguely familiar and Nokomis was sure that she had seen this man before but couldn't remember where. Her head hurt her and she really wanted some aspirin, water, and food in that order.

"Hello," she called out to the young man.

Nokomis saw him raise his head up off of his knees and open his eyes. Smiling he dropped his hands from around his legs and turned his knees to his right. In this way he was able to kneel by her side. Nokomis now realized that she wasn't in a bed but was on a mattress that was on the floor of the small room.

Nokomis watched the young, dark haired man that looked a little older than her pour water from the pitcher that sat in the basin off to his right into a wooden cup. She tried to picture him in a different setting but her confused mind could not.

Placing the pitcher back into the basin he came forward and held the wooden cup to her lips talking to her in a language that clearly wasn't English.

"Thank you," she said as she watched his face turn into a frown, sipping the water he offered her.

"Anata wa nihongo ga hanasenai?" he asked taking the cup away from her mouth, clearly confused at what she was saying.

"Stupid!" Nokomis scolded herself, "you're clearly not in the states." She remembered that she had accompanied her mother to China and switching to Mandarin she tried again.

"Xiexie."

The young man just shook his head as he watched the girl take another sip of the water that he offered her. She clearly was a foreigner from her speech, yet she acted a bit different from them and he liked that.

He had seen the foreign women before when they came ashore, all prim and proper like. Those women would cover themselves up with layers of clothes and use umbrellas when the sun was out. He had been witness to one that had fainted from the heat and the man that she was with had cut open her tight fitting top called a corset, he found out later, to allow her to breathe again.

When the woman regained her senses she had screamed loudly and tried to cover herself up with her corset again, clearly not wanting to be seen without any clothes on. He didn't understand because the woman clearly had on a white, long sleeve top under the tight binding corset.

Yes, the girl before him was different. He turned away from her and refilled her cup before turning back to offer it again to her. She wasn't screaming at least, even thought it was clear that she was trying to cover her naked body up with the sheet.

He knew that he would have to explain about her clothes sooner or later, but first things first. He wanted to know her name.

"Onamae wa nan desuka?" he asked.

Nokomis didn't understand. He was clearly asking her something but he wasn't speaking Mandarin. "It could be a variation," she thought, "maybe a different providence in China." How could she make him understand?

She sipped the water he offered to her and thought back to what her mother had taught her when she was trying to learn Mandarin for the first time.

"The more basic a word is the better the chance that it will be understood," Melody told her daughter when Nokomis was frustrated one day. "For example: 'Big' is a better choice than trying to use 'Enormous' and 'Make' is easier to pronounce than 'Manufacture'."

That was it! Nokomis grabbed the wooden cup out of the young man's hand, startling him as she did so.

"Sorry," she said in Mandarin, knowing he clearly wouldn't understand her but smiled at him anyway.

Carefully transferring the cup to her left hand that held the sheet she dipped the fingers of her right hand into the cup and brought them forth, water dripping down her fingers and into the cup.

"Shui," Nokomis said in Mandarin showing him the water dripping off of her fingers.

"How do you break down a language into its simplest form?" her teacher had asked in a lecture one day at school. "You break it down into its elementary components; like cup, plate, fork, then build on that."

Nokomis was hoping that her teacher was right as she said the word for water again, taking her right hand to drip the water into the young man's palm that he held out to her. He clearly was confused, his face screwed up into a frown watching the water drip into his palm.

"Shui?" he repeated quietly to himself.

The young man looked up into the girl's eyes. She was clearly trying to talk to him but he didn't understand. She dipped her fingers into the wooden cup again and took them out, letting the water run off of them and into his palm.

"Shui," she pleaded trying to make him understand.

He looked away from her face to his right palm, held outstretched to catch the water. Shui she called it. Then it hit him. She was asking him what he called water.

"Mizu!" he nearly shouted at her looking up into her face smiling.

Now it was her turn to look confused.

"Mizu," he said more slowly as he took the wooden cup from her and repeated her action. Dipping the fingers of his right hand into the cup, he pulled them out as he let the water drip into her open palm this time.

"Mizu," she repeated rolling the word around in her mouth.

"Okay," Nokomis said to herself, "clearly not Chinese." But the young man looked oriental to her.

She grabbed the wooden cup back and drained the contents in one swallow.

Holding the now empty cup out to him she asked in Mandarin, "Bei?"

"Bei?" he repeated trying to figure out what she was asking.

"Bei?" she asked again carefully tapping the wooden cup before giving it back to him.

He rolled the cup around in his hands. "Was she asking for the word wood?" he wondered. "No. Think simple," he told himself. Then he caught on to her game.

"Kappu," he said proudly holding the cup up to show her he got it.

Nokomis smiled at him. Now he was understanding what she was trying to do.

"Pian?" she questioned flapping the white sheet back and forth.

He smiled. "Shito," he said placing his left hand onto hers, pressing the sheet back against her body.

He liked seeing her naked body flash before his eyes, but thought that she didn't want to show him her beautiful breasts just yet.

"Please," he told her in his native language knowing she wouldn't understand, "I can see your breasts when you do that," he said pointing to her chest with his right hand.

"Oh," Nokomis said in English slightly embarrassed that she hadn't thought about that earlier, the color rising to her cheeks.

The young man removed his hand from hers and furled his brow. Here she was speaking the foreigner's language once again to him. Clearly she had come from the ships in the harbor, but she also seemed to know a different language too. Maybe if he could find one of the men from the ships that spoke Japanese he could bring them here to help him.

His thoughts were interrupted as the girl was off talking again. Pointing behind him to the fireplace she asked, "Huo?"

The young man looked behind him to the embers that glowed red. He grabbed a wooden log that lay on the hearth and carefully placed it on the embers. Next he blew softly to send the embers up to form into sparks that slowly caught a hold of the wood. When he had the fire finally going again he turned back around.

"Kasai," he said pointing at the now roaring fire.

"Kasai," she repeated smiling. They were finally communicating.

He smiled back at her this time taking the lead. Taking the pitcher out of the basin he held it up to her as she told him the word that she knew and he would then tell her his word. The pair continued this until he heard her stomach making noises. She was hungry.

"Sorry," she said in English knowing he wouldn't understand, "I'm hungry," she said pantomiming food being placed into her mouth with her right hand.

Somehow he understood as he rose up and walked behind her mattress. He returned with her clothes looking at his feet as he placed them on the ground.

"Sori," he said quietly knowing now that she was going to find out about her clothes.

He watched her as she sorted through the pile taking the black and white material that she had wrapped around her breasts when he had first met her. Holding it up she looked at him with a frown.

"I had to cut it off of you," he said pointing to the frayed material in the middle. "We didn't understand how foreign clothes work."

Nokomis didn't understand him but she could tell that he was clearly worried about her bra that had been cut between the two cups in front. Sighing she placed it back into the pile. "Maybe he doesn't know how to take one off," she thought, "he is rather young looking."

Nokomis pulled her purple camp shirt next out of the pile. "Well," she said out loud in English, "at least this is in one piece."

Nokomis carefully put the shirt on before she dropped the sheet into her lap and buttoned it up. The material hurt her when it touched her burnt back.

The young man watched as she pulled the shirt on. She clearly was in pain when the material touched her skin, as she would clench her teeth and make a noise, but what fascinated him the most was the way that she fastened the top closed. Small holes on one side that she slid over white bone on the other. The top reminded him of the foreign men and their big heavy tops they called coats with shinny round things like hers.

Reaching out he pointed to the round white boney circle.

"What are these?" he asked hoping she would understand.

Nokomis looked down to where he was pointing. She didn't know the Mandarin word.

"Button," she told him in English as he repeated the word to himself.

Nokomis quickly unbuttoned one of the buttons on her top and pointed to the slit in the material on the other side.

"Buttonhole," she told him as she let him finger the material and slit in the top.

She didn't understand. Why wouldn't he know what a button or buttonhole was? They weren't living in the stone age days and even if they were buttons had been around back then, only the people used them as decorations. It wasn't until 1200 A.D. that the button was used in Europe to actually close a garment.

When the young man sat back after having buttoned her top closed, Nokomis took and lifted up her pants by the waist only to have them fall apart.

"What the…," she broke off.

Now she was mad! Her favorite pants that converted into shorts were ripped up both side seams. How could he do this to her?! Nokomis turned to release her wrath and a few choice swear words on the young man but when she saw him she stopped dead in her tracks.

On his knees, face to the ground, hands spread out before him, the young man was clearly ready for her punishment as he kept repeating one word over and over again.

"Sori, Sori, Sori," he whispered over and over into the ground waiting for her punishment that never came.

Nokomis couldn't be mad and for the first time in her life her heart went out to someone besides her parents. Something was going on and she couldn't figure it out. "Must be the heat stroke," she thought as she reached out a hand to touch the top of the young man's head.

Flinching under her touch she quickly pulled her hand away. Clearly he had been expecting her to do some kind of harm to him. How could she do that? It was a simple mistake about the pants, she told herself.

Carefully, slowly, Nokomis turned and laid on her belly facing him. She winched as she came into contact with the mattress but regained her composure. Reaching out her hands she took the young man's outstretched hands into hers. She hung tight when he pulled back. Slowly he raised his head to look at her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly looking into his brown eyes weakly smiling at him.

"Sori," he told her again dropping his face back to the floor.

"Sori," she repeated to herself realizing now what the word meant.

Sori must mean sorry but she wished she knew what language he was speaking to her. Nokomis's stomach grumbled again and she carefully pushed herself up onto her hands. She was famished now and still thirsty but worst of all her whole body ached. She really needed some aspirin but had no way of asking for it, but she could ask for water again.

"Mizu?" she asked pointing to the pitcher and wooden cup that sat on the table.

The young man looked up again. Clearly she wasn't going to punish him and he rose up onto his knees to quickly fill the wooden cup for her. Handing the cup to her he could see no hatred in her eyes.

"Xiexie," she told him in Mandarin taking the cup from him.

The young man thought for a moment about what she was saying and then told her the word he knew.

"Arigato," he said.

"Arigato," Nokomis repeated.

The word sounded familiar but she couldn't place it just yet as her stomach once again loudly protested its desire for food. Well there was no way she was getting out of bed for food with no pants. She smiled and handed back the empty cup to him.

Pantomiming food being placed into her mouth with her right hand she hoped he would understand.

Nodding his head he pointed at her and spoke to her as he stood up and left the room. Nokomis could only hope that he had gone for food and was relieved when he came back into the room carrying a plate and two wooden chopsticks. He spoke again to her holding up the chopsticks. Setting the plate down on the table he showed her how the chopsticks worked before placing them down next to the plate of food.

Crossing to her side, he carefully helped her to her feet holding the sheet around her bottom half as he did so. Gathering the sheet up, so that she wouldn't trip on it, he helped her walk to the table and carefully sit down on a pillow that was there.

Nokomis thanked him and then picked up the chopsticks. They weren't like the disposable type that she often got in the restaurants. The ends of these were painted blue.

Taking one chopstick, like her father had taught her, she placed it into her hand so that the blue end was sitting snug against the inside of her thumb and forefinger. The end was held on the top of her ring finger. This chopstick would never move in this position. Picking up the other chopstick she held it like a pencil but with her thumb strait, not bent.

Nokomis opened the chopsticks with her middle finger, and taking a scoop of the rice that sat on her plate, she closed the chopsticks with her forefinger before bringing them to her mouth.

The young man breathed a sigh of relief. He had been concerned about her using the chopsticks. The foreigners that he had seen had had a hard time using them to eat with. Clearly she knew how the chopsticks worked and could use them well he noticed, as she picked up a single grain of rice from off of her plate.

"You are very beautiful," he said to her knowing that she wouldn't understand and liking it that way.

It was too soon to show her how he felt and it was also too soon after his lover had died. His anguish over loosing Shino had been replaced by this girl in his care.

When he had carried her down the hill to the temple he didn't know if the nuns would let him back inside. They hadn't at first, when he had approached the large wooden door and knocked loudly on it. After seeing his charge, burnt and sleeping in his arms, the nuns had allowed him use of the room off of the kitchen.

He had followed the older nun to the small room where they had placed the girl onto the futon. When the nun went to remove the girl's clothes that was when they discovered the same thing. The foreign clothes had strange closures to them. The purple kimono looking top had been easy to remove but the black and white material had not. Neither he, nor the nun, had found the end where she had tied it and so he had taken his wakizashi sword out and carefully placing it between her breasts he had sliced up to remove the item from her chest.

The tan hakama's were also a problem. They were not tied in the front or back. He saw only metal that held tight when he tried to pull them apart. Again he had taken his sword and sliced the sides away to remove them from her. The white cloth on her bottom they had left alone.

"Your ward wears strange clothes," the nun had told him lighting the candles because the sun had set.

"Yes," he had replied, pulling the sheet up to her chest and sweeping a finger across her face to remove a strand of stray hair. "I believe she is from the foreign ships docked at Nagasaki."

"Then how did she get to Edo?" the nun had asked him shaking the slim stick, that she had used to light the candles with, out before she placed it on the table.

"I don't know," he had replied.

"I guess when she wakes up you can ask her," the nun had said leaving the room and closing the door shut behind her.

The girl's tapping him on his arm brought him back to the present. Pointing to the food on her plate she asked him if the meat was fish.

"Unagi," he told her.

She took a bite of the eel and immediately made a face, after chewing it, before spitting it back out onto her plate.

"Sori," she told him, "it doesn't taste right."

He only smiled at her wishing that he could understand what she was trying to say to him.

Nokomis stifled a yawn as she placed her chopsticks down on the table, the eel left uneaten. The young man seemed to understand as he held out a hand to her. Nokomis took his hand and let him help her up. Walking back the few feet to her futon she let him help her lie down again.

"Arigato," she told him as she lied on her right side and let him place the sheet back over her body.

"Anata no kangei," the young man said as he took up his post back by the fire.

He watched her as she tried to get comfortable and remembered he still didn't know her name. There was only one way he knew and he hoped she would understand.

"Watashi no namae wa Takeda Jin desu," he said pointing at himself.

"Sori," she said shaking her head.

Using her hands she placed them wide apart and shook her head no. Nokomis then brought her hands close together with only a small gap between them. When she had done this she nodded her head yes.

He watched her and nodded his head in agreement. If they were to understand each other they were going to have to do it slowly, bit by bit. Rethinking how he could ask her name he pointed back to himself.

"Takeda Jin," he proudly told her before pointing her way, "To?" he asked.

Nokomis just shook her head some more, "Sori," she told him and indicated with her hands and even smaller gap.

He understood and pointed at himself.

"Jin," he told her.

"Jin," she repeated pointing at him.

"Hai," he said nodding his head yes, "Jin."

Jin pointed his finger at her hoping she would understand.

She did and pointing her finger at her chest she said, "Nokomis."

"No-ko-mus," he asked trying the English word for the first time.

Nokomis realized that her name must be hard to pronounce for him and so she tried to break it down.

"No-ko-mis," she told him slowly.

"Noko," he replied clearly not getting the ending of her name.

"Yes," she said in English. "Hai," she said again, remembering him saying that to her.

"Noko," he repeated pointing at her.

"Noko-**MIS**," she tried again.

"Noko," he said again a big smile upon his face.

She gave up trying to explain and let him go with just the first two symbols of her name.

Nokomis smiled at him clearly liking the nickname that he had just given her. No one in her family had called her anything but Nokomis growing up.

Her family. Nokomis sighed. This wasn't what she thought heaven was like, yet she wondered if she really was dead after all. She had trusted her Aunt Jean, but when she had stepped through the portal she thought it was taking her to heaven. According to her father, Uncle Egon, and cousin Echo everyone there spoke the same language. So why was Jin speaking something she couldn't understand? Nokomis closed her eyes. She was tired, maybe the answers would come in the morning.

Jin watched as Noko closed her eyes. He smiled at his new charge. At least he knew her name now even though it sounded strange. Tomorrow if she was feeling up to it they would start for Nagasaki. Jin knew that the answer lie there, and if he was going to understand anything that she said he was going to need help.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Egon lay on the ground, hands behind his head, as he stared up at the night sky. The stars were just beginning to appear as the sun had set only a few moments ago. Given enough time the sky would begin to tell a tale. A tale of Greek zodiac signs, of gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, all united in the constellations coming out for Egon to see.

Egon had never been one to sit still for any length of time. He was always busy working, experimenting. The only time he allowed himself to be still was at the opera or his daughter's concerts, but even then he wasn't still in his mind. He would listen and break down into parts the piece that the orchestra was playing. In his head he heard each part clearly. He would listen for each musicians individual interpretation of the piece, making the music his or her own, and then would put them all back together again.

Even though his body was still at those times he knew that he wasn't. But tonight was different. Egon had never sat and looked up at the stars before with pure enjoyment.

"That's a fruitless waste of time," Egon's father pointed out to him when he was young.

Uncle Cyrus and his children had come over to Egon's father's house to celebrate the fourth of July. After the fireworks were done Egon's uncle had taken his children out back to lie on the grass, watching the stars and connecting them to form constellations.

Cyrus was younger than Edison, Egon's father, and as such wasn't about to let life slip by without making each day special for his children and his only nephew.

Egon wiped away a tear that had managed to slip out of the corner of his eye. He missed his father and mother terribly on nights like this. Even though he wasn't alone, he had his daughter, Egon still felt alone in his heart.

"Egon it's okay to cry," Kane said as he watched his son-in-law wipe away the tear at the corner of his right eye. "It doesn't make you less of a man."

"I know," Egon replied turning to his right to see Kane staring at him, lying next to him on the ground. "I'm just thinking about my parents and how much I miss them."

"I understand," Kane said and turned to look back up at the sky.

Egon turned his attention back up at the night sky as he remembered how Kane had teased him a few days ago.

"Let's go climb a mountain huh," Egon said to Kane. "You had me going there, thinking I was going to be gearing up to climb a rock face."

"What?" Kane retorted back, "Afraid you wouldn't remember how?"

"No," Egon replied, "I was afraid that you and me would be joining my wife and parents when I fell to my death because I couldn't find a hand hold and you wouldn't have been able to hold on to me."

"Nice way to instill some confidence into your climbing partner."

"Yeah, sorry."

Both men fell silent lost in their thoughts as the planet Jupiter appeared above them. Soon after that Sirius, the Dog Star appeared.

"Egon?"

"Yes, Kane."

"Did you love my daughter?"

Egon sat up from the ground and looked at his father-in-law laying in the grass. Why was Kane asking him this now? Surely Kane knew that he loved Eden. What was going through the man's mind?

"Kane, you know I loved Eden. I still love her even now after her death."

Kane nodded his head stifling a cry before he spoke again.

"Were you gentle to her?"

Now Egon knew what was going on in Kane's mind. Eden's former boyfriend had been abusive to her. Egon knew that Eden had told her father about it. She had told Kane how Ben had physically, sexually, and mentally abused her. Then when Eden had become pregnant, because she was raped by Ben, he had attacked her in the night.

Eden had miscarried her baby girl and had spiraled down into depression and eventually thoughts of suicide. Egon had had the same thoughts of suicide that day when he had met Eden for the first time.

"Kane," Egon said reaching out with his right hand to touch the man's left arm, "I've been nothing but gentle with your daughter since day one."

"Eden told me about her past the night before we got married. She thought that I didn't want her because of what had happened to her. She thought that I would call off the wedding and walk out on her if I knew about her past with Ben. But I didn't care about her past boyfriend. We all have our own demons that we must face alone. Our past isn't our future. We learn from it, use it to our advantage, and grow from it, trying not to repeat our mistakes again."

"I always let Eden lead me in what she wanted when it came to loving each other. Is that what you wanted to know Kane?"

"You never forced yourself upon her?" the older man asked clearly troubled by something.

"No," Egon replied removing his hand, "never."

"Then you're a better man than me," Kane replied.

Egon narrowed his eyes at Kane. "What was going on," he wondered as he watched the man before him break down and finally cry up at the night sky.

Egon sat quietly, letting Kane take whatever personal time he needed to work what was bothering him out of his system. Eventually Kane's sobbing subsided.

"Egon?"

"Right here Kane."

"I lied to you and everyone at Lizzie's funeral when I was giving her eulogy. I didn't marry Lizzie when she was eighteen and our first son wasn't born nine months later."

Egon didn't know what to say and kept quiet as Kane gathered his thoughts.

"Egon?"

"Yes, Kane."

"Can you keep a secret? It will have to be for the rest of your life. You can't even tell Echo."

"Why?" Egon asked.

"Because…," Kane started to say then broke off as tears came to his eyes once again.

Gathering his composure Kane tried again.

"Let me tell you a story Egon," Kane said.

"I met Lizzie when I was eighteen and she was sixteen. I was a senior in high school and Lizzie was the grade below me. When we first met I wouldn't even give her the time of day, but eventually we learned to get along. I grew to like her too."

"Christmas came and went and we started to hang out together after winter break. When the time for senior prom rolled around I asked Lizzie if she would accompany me and she said yes."

"I still remember to this day driving up to her parent's house with a pink corsage that I had picked out the night before. I knocked on the door and who greeted me but this angel in white. Lizzie had on a strapless, white long dress with rhinestones sewn into the netting of the skirt that sat over a satin underskirt."

"Her father took our picture after I awkwardly tried to pin the corsage onto her dress afraid of touching her breasts in front of her parents. Lizzie's older sister Beth thankfully came to the rescue that night."

Kane wiped away the tears in his eyes and then continued his story.

"Well I took Lizzie to the dance and we had a great time. There was only one thing wrong. Every time I looked at Lizzie I lusted after her. I knew it was wrong but my carnal desires just kept coming back. After the dance was over I suggested that we go for a drive before I took her home."

Kane sat up now and pulled his knees up off of the ground.

"Egon, I don't know why I did what I did even to this day," Kane said, "but I wanted Lizzie that night and that was why I took her for a drive."

"I had in my mind's eye of loving that girl slowly, gently and her loving me back."

Kane wrapped his arms around his legs before he continued with his story.

"But what we want sometimes turns out to be our biggest enemy."

"What happened?" Egon gently asked knowing that he might not like what he was going to hear.

"I drove Lizzie to a secluded place in town where no one ever goes. We got out and walked up the hill to sit on the grass holding hands looking out over the lights of the town. I leaned in to kiss her and was surprised when she kissed me back. I thought my dreams were coming true. She wanted me and would love me, just like I wanted her."

Kane turned his face towards Egon and started shaking his head back and forth.

"We were pretty heavy into it when I made my move and reached one hand under Lizzie's dress while my other hand went for her breast. Lizzie realized what I was doing and tried to back away from me, but I wanted her and I was going to have her no matter what."

Egon didn't say anything and sat there not knowing what to do.

"I won't go into all the details, but that night I forced myself upon Lizzie. The more she struggled to get free, the more I pushed her into the grass to have my way with her. You don't know what I did to that young girl and here I was, king of my domain, raping an underage child."

Kane stopped shaking his head and sat looking down the mountain to where Echo sat with Daniel by the campfire.

"I wish my first child would have been conceived out of love not rape," Kane said quietly.

Egon turned his head to look where Kane was staring. It was true his daughter Echo was conceived and born out of love for his wife.

"So is that why you married Lizzie?" Egon questioned quietly.

"Partly," Kane replied.

"When I was done having my way with Lizzie I released her. She struggled to get up. Her dress was torn, soiled, and she had a bruise on her left arm from where I had held onto her, holding her down on her stomach in the grass. Lizzie stood before me, a scared look on her face, before tears came to her eyes and she ran away from me."

"I tried to go after her but she ran down the hill and across the road to hide from me in the woods there. I looked for hours. I never found her and finally when the sun rose I drove back home alone. I don't know how Lizzie ever got home and I never saw her after that. She didn't come to school the last two weeks before summer break and graduation."

"I moved on with my life and started attending college in the fall. Even though I had put Lizzie behind me I always looked back on my time with her as something that I wish never would have happened. Lizzie was a beautiful girl that I wished I had gotten to know better before that night."

"Round about Christmas break I got in touch with my buddies from high school who had seen Lizzie. They told me "nice going", called me a "stud", and asked "how was it?" I didn't know what they were talking about until I forced them to tell me."

"They told me that Lizzie was going to have a baby. Well I didn't believe them because no one can get pregnant the first time, or so I thought, and I went to her house to see her. When Lizzie's dad answered the door I got punched in the face and told to leave."

"Lizzie, I found out a few days later, wasn't living at home anymore. Her parents had thrown her out of the house when she had told them that she was pregnant. I asked around and tracked her down a few weeks later. Lizzie was living with her sister Beth."

"I went to Beth's house January first, hoping beyond hope that what my friends had told me was a lie. I was expecting to see a skinny seventeen year old teenager answer the door, but do you know what I got instead Egon?"

"No," Egon replied, "what did you get?"

"I got this heavily pregnant young girl opening the door for me. It was like night and day. Lizzie wasn't that angel when I had first met her to take her to the prom. Gone was the white strapless dress. Here before me was a barefooted girl dressed in a pair of hand-me-down jeans, with holes in the knees, and an oversized man's shirt. Lizzie was about to slam the door in my face, but Beth stopped her and invited me inside."

"I sat there at the kitchen table while Lizzie let loose with everything that she could think of to say to me. And how did I answer her back? I couldn't. I had ruined Elizabeth's life. She wasn't going to be able to graduate from high school nor was she going to be able to go on to college because of me."

"My selfish desire to have her that lone night had turned her world into shame, remorse, and shambles. Here was Lizzie seven months pregnant and going to give birth in March with no job, parents that didn't want her, and living off of her sister."

"Her abuse resulted from my unrighteous attack on her freedom. It was my fault that Lizzie was like this. I sat at that kitchen table staring at the mess that I had made and knew that I had to do something to fix it. That was why I had to marry Lizzie. I had an obligation to take care of her and her child, so I did."

"I had to take a stand. It was not easy, popular, or fun, but I couldn't just look away or keep quiet about it. I became subject to ridicule, slander, and even physical abuse from my friends. _"Why get involved?" "The child's probably not even yours." "Let Lizzie deal with it." _And the most popular one was; _"Just pay for the abortion." _I was told over and over again."

"But I couldn't let Lizzie raise this child alone. My father told me once that 'A responsible parent chooses to make all sorts of sacrifices.' Sitting there looking at that crying, pregnant girl, made me realize what my father was talking about."

"My marriage to Lizzie wasn't going to be perfect, but it was going to be built on faith, prayer, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, and hard work. Our home was going to be a place of refuge, peace, and immense joy in everyone's lives."

"Beth signed the papers so that Lizzie could get married to me because she was underage."

"When we got married the next month on Valentine's Day I knew Lizzie wasn't crying because she was happy. She was crying because she felt forced into getting married. She felt that I was going to have my way with her again."

Kane stifled a laugh.

"I slept on the floor of our one bedroom family housing, at Central Oregon Community College, in a sleeping bag after we were married. I didn't want Lizzie to feel that I was ever going to take advantage of her again. Eight months after our son was born Lizzie felt sorry for me and told me that I was allowed in bed with her but NO TOUCHING WAS ALLOWED."

"You must have touched her at some point in time," Egon interrupted, "how else did you get all your natural born children?"

"Yeah," Kane replied laughing, "we did touch, but only after Benjamin turned one. I let Lizzie lead the way in our love making much like you and Eden."

"Lizzie spent a year in therapy which I supported and paid for. She felt guilty for what I had done to her. That was one of the reasons I spent the first nine months of our marriage on the floor. We both had to overcome our feelings of worthlessness, because the person that we wanted to be wasn't the person that was staring back at us each and every time we looked in the mirror."

"Egon do you know what I have learned from my life with Lizzie?"

"No," Egon replied.

"I have learned that it is hardest to show compassion and grant forgiveness to those closest to us and yet Lizzie forgave me for what I did to her. I learned that forgiveness is the greatest gift that I could offer Lizzie and myself. I learned that "tolerate" and "love" are two very different verbs despite what popular culture professes. I also learned that we all bear scars from the failures, disappointments, and fears in our lives. And, I prefer to wear long sleeves to hide those abstract scars that I think are on my arms, waiting there for the whole world to see and judge."

Kane smiled at Egon in the darkness knowing that the other man wouldn't be able to see his face.

"You know Egon it's easy to take off your clothes and have sex. People do it all the time, but opening up your soul to someone, letting them into your spirit, thoughts, fears, future, hopes, and dreams…that's being naked."

"I opened up to Lizzie and she returned that favor, and do you know what happened? We grew. We grew closer together and never looked back on the past. Just like you said. The past isn't our future and boy did I ever learn from it! The challenges and rewards of marriage come as two people learn to be one."

"Well Egon," Kane said sighing, "the last night with Lizzie before she died was a long dead dream of mine that came true. That woman loved me. Slowly, gently just like I had imagined when I was eighteen years old and had sat on that hill overlooking the town. We loved many times until early in the morning when Lizzie was finished and she turned to me. With tears in her eyes she told me that she forgave me for that first night when I had forced myself upon her. She loved me and all of our children."

"I believe that Lizzie knew she was going to die and wanted to express her love for me that one last time."

"Promise me something," Lizzie said to me as she lay in my arms.

"What?" I asked her.

"That you will be with me and hold me in your arms when I die."

Egon nodded his head. He knew what Kane was going through. He had promised his wife something similar too the night before she had died.

Kane released his arms from his legs and slowly stood up.

"Come on Egon," Kane said offering a hand to him. "Let's go join the others. I have a presentation to make."

Egon grasped Kane's hand and stood up. Both men walked down the mountain with the help of the first quarter moon low on the horizon. Egon could see Daniel with his arm around Echo sitting with their backs to him.

Joseph heard his father coming above the crackling of the fire.

"Hello Father," Joseph called out to Kane as the two men approached the campfire.

"Good evening son," Kane replied as he and Egon came to a stop behind Echo and Daniel.

"Is everyone all here?" Kane asked, signing what he was saying to his daughter.

"Manny is just changing Lizzie," Sarah signed back to her father.

"I'll wait then," Kane replied as he made his way around his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to stand next to Joseph.

Joseph would be able to sign to Sarah this way and also Sarah would be able to see his lips. She had become an expert lip reader over the years but would still rely on signs if the person talking looked away or covered their mouth.

Egon sat down on Echo's left side on the blanket that Daniel had spread out for his daughter an hour ago. Soon Manny could be seen coming into view carrying a baby in his arms.

"I'm sorry Father," Manny said as he came around to sit next to Daniel.

"No worries," Kane said, "are we ready?"

"Yeah, but I don't think Echo, Daniel, and Uncle Egon know what's going on," one of Kane's great-grandchildren cried out.

"Summer hush," Ben's daughter told her child, "It's Grandpa Greats turn to talk."

Kane laughed at the reference that one of his great-grandchildren had given him. They had tried to call him Great-Grandpa when they were young and were just learning how to talk. It had come out Grandpa Greats instead. Kane had liked the name and so it had stayed.

"It's okay Helen," Kane replied, "I was going to tell them what we are going to be doing before I started anyways."

Kane turned his face towards Egon, Echo, and Daniel.

"When my kids were young, growing up, Lizzie and I would meet together as a family once a month and have a fireside chat."

"Like the radio addresses given by FDR in the 30's?" Egon asked.

"Correct," Kane replied.

"Who?" Daniel questioned Echo.

"FDR is an aberration that stands for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was the 32nd President of the United States. Between 1933 and 1944 he gave a series of thirty evening radio addresses to the nation called fireside chats," Echo answered Daniel's question.

"You're correct also," Kane pointed out to Echo, "only my "chats" usually involved a religious topic but tonight I am going to deviate away from that. Tonight we are going to be celebrating the life that Lizzie gave to us."

"I have asked each of my children to come up with their own special farewell to their mother. Benjamin Jay Parnell's family will be going first," Kane said before sitting down next to Joseph.

Ben stood up and spoke about how he remembered a time when his mother was painting a door. He was a toddler at the time and wanted to help, so his mother had given him a brush.

"I remember painting that door for about five minutes before something else caught my attention," Ben said. "I then dropped the paint brush on the floor and toddled off elsewhere happy in the fact that I had "helped"."

Ben recalled how his mother was left to fix his "helping to paint the door" mistakes.

"She was always there for me, my wife and kids whenever we made mistakes," Ben said quietly. "Never judging, always there with open arms ready to accept us as we were. Just like the painting of the door, she helped us all. I love you Mother."

Ben sat down as his wife placed her hands on top of his, giving them a squeeze.

Tommy, Ruth's husband stood up next.

"I only knew Elizabeth through my wife," he stated, "but what I knew of her will remain with me until I die. She was a kind person thinking of others before herself. Before I married Ruth she told me a secret. A secret that would make our marriage the best for both of us, she told me."

Tommy paused before he continued.

"Elizabeth told me; _"Lead Ruth with grace instead of trying to control her. It's not the love that sustains the promise. It's the promise that sustains the love."_."

"I miss you both," Tommy said before sitting down.

Sarah stood up next as her husband Marcus rose up with her also.

"I wish to let you all know that I loved my mother," Marcus said as he watched his wife signing to him.

"I want to describe my mother with words that I have learned from her over the years," Marcus said.

"Hardworking. Trustworthy. Kind. Sympathetic. Understanding. Loyal. Patriotic. Diplomatic."

Kane's children laughed at this and Marcus held his wife's hands still until they stopped. Sarah smiled. She knew her mother was judge and jury for many a childhood quarrel growing up. Marcus released Sarah's hands when the laughter died down.

"Honest," Sarah signed as Marcus resumed his translation for her.

"Adventurous," Sarah said as Kane nodded his head in agreement.

Kane remembered when he had taught Lizzie how to rappel. She had been scared at first, then after the basics were down she had begged for more. Kane smiled and turned his attention back to his daughter.

"My Motivating, Outgoing, Trusting, Honest, Energetic, Remarkable MOTHER. Lizzie was the only one who accepted me for me. It didn't matter that I couldn't hear. She showed me how to feel instead. I will miss you terrible," Sarah signed and then turned into her husband's shoulder to weep openly.

Joseph stood up with help from Kane as Sarah and her husband sat back down.

"We come into this world alone and we leave alone," Joseph said holding onto his father's arm for support, "but within that time we create lasting memories with our loved ones that will forever bind us in this world and beyond."

"Lizzie loved us all," Joseph said. "I remember a time when I hated being blind and being a burden on everyone so I ran away."

Kane stifled a laugh remembering the incident all too well.

"Lizzie found me next door hiding in the neighbor's doghouse which I had thought was a playhouse."

"You were six at the time," Kane told his son.

"Yes I was," Joseph replied, "but Lizzie taught me something that day that I will never forget."

"She sat outside that doghouse and told me; _'There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what the lighthouse on the shore can rescue if we only raise our heads and look.'_."

'_It beckons through the storms of life. It calls, "This way to safety. This way to home." It sends forth signals of light easily seen and never failing. If followed, those signals will guide you back home.'_

"I remember yelling at her that what good was a lighthouse if I couldn't see it. Lizzie calmly took her hand and reached inside that doghouse until she found my hand. Holding it tight she told me that she was my lighthouse and if I followed her advice it didn't matter that I couldn't see. I remember telling her that I wished I had died when I was born."

Joseph paused as tears fell from his eyes. He swallowed before he continued.

"Well when Lizzie heard that I wanted to be dead she climbed into that doghouse with me and pulled me into a hug. She then said something that changed my life forever."

'_Joseph Dean Parnell, Don't you quit! You keep walking! You keep trying! There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven. But they will come. It will be all right in the end. Trust me Joseph and believe in good things to come.'_

Joseph wiped the tears away from his eyes and continued.

"Lizzie changed my life. I learned to play the piano and compose songs for her. I learned to respect other people around me. I began to have a desire to help others too. Because of my blindness I had an opportunity to be a blessing in the lives of others so I became a concert pianist. I wanted to show others how they could overcome trials in their lives. If I could overcome being blind, why couldn't they overcome their own problems."

Echo smiled. She was sitting with her head on Daniel's left shoulder his left arm around her. She had seen Joseph's concerts. They reminded her of Victor Borge's comedian routines.

"I love you Lizzie," Joseph said, "and I want to leave you with my favorite quote from another piano composer Beethoven."

"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into it's secrets. For it and knowledge can raise men to the divine."

"Lizzie knew all of our secrets and raised us all up to become what we are today. I thank her for taking me into her home and family," Joseph said as he sat back down onto the ground.

Echo knew it was her family's turn. They had agreed upon a song. She saw her father pick up the borrowed guitar that sat next to him and place the strap over his head before he rose up.

"Like Ruth's husband Tommy, I knew Lizzie through marriage," Egon stated. "I wasn't privileged to know Eden's parents until after we got married."

"My biggest fear when I met Eden's parents for the first time was that they would hate me for taking and marrying their daughter without even inviting them to the wedding, but that turned out to be wrong."

"Eden and I had planned a wedding in the spring so that everyone could come, but after my near death experience I couldn't wait."

"I wanted Eden to be my wife because I knew that life was short and at any moment either one of us could be gone forever."

Egon wiped away at his eyes. How true his statement had been.

"I had Eden for eleven wonderful years and then I lost her. Lizzie was there for me along with my own mother."

"I remember suddenly being a single father to a nine year old daughter who wanted only one thing in life, and that was for her mother to come back to her."

Echo started to cry at the mention of her mother and buried her face into Daniel's chest.

"I remember a day that I didn't want to get out of bed. Lizzie was staying with us at the time to help me with Echo. "What good would it do," I told myself, "to get out of bed and pretend that everything was alright"?"

"Well Lizzie came into my room and sat down on the bed by my side. I remember pulling the pillow over my head and telling her that I wished I would have died instead. It was just too hard to go on living without Eden."

Egon paused and strummed a few chords on the guitar before he continued.

"Lizzie didn't sugar coat it for me. She knew what I was feeling."

"_Egon," _she told me, _"we have to experience sadness so that we may better measure joy. Life has a way of balancing the sorrow with the joy, the disappointments with the hope, and the emptiness with the meaning. After all, how could we ever dry the tears of others," _she told me as she tenderly removed the pillow from my head, _"if we had never cried ourselves?"_

"Lizzie allowed me to talk to her about Eden's death and about my feelings. I expressed my grief openly to her and Lizzie just sat and listened to me. Never judging."

"One of the things that I was haunted by the most was Eden's personal belongings being gone through by her siblings and taken away, never to be seen again."

Egon paused again and wiped his eye with the sleeve of his windbreaker before he continued.

"Lizzie said something to me that helped me that day to get up out of bed and continue on with life."

"_Egon," _Lizzie said to me, _"you, and only you, should decide what should be done with Eden's clothes and personal belongings."_

"_Don't force yourself to go through them until you are ready. Take your time. It isn't hurting anything to leave Eden's belongings right where they are for now. You will determine when the time is right."_

Echo knew that her father had left their bedroom alone after Eden had died. His wife's clothes were still in the closet and her jewelry still sat on the night stand, next to her side of the bed all these years later.

Egon placed his hand onto the neck of the guitar and started playing the introduction to the song that Echo, Daniel, and him were going to sing.

"I want to leave Lizzie and Eden with a song," Egon said before he broke into singing in his deep rich tenor voice.

"There are loved ones in the glory,

Whose dear forms you often miss;

When you close your earthly story,

Will you join them in their bliss?"

Echo, who had been crying during her father's speech, wiped her eyes when she heard him start to sing. Daniel helped her to her feet and joined in with Egon on the chorus.

"Will the circle be unbroken

By and by, by and by?

In a better home awaiting

In the sky, in the sky?"

Echo was supposed to sing the next verse but she could not. The pain that she thought she had buried with her mother's death was fresh again in her heart. Egon played the introduction once again for his daughter but Echo just shook her head.

"I can't," she cried into Daniel's arms.

Manny stood up and sang the next verse as Egon continued to play. When he came to the chorus Egon and Daniel joined in with Manny as one by one Lizzie's children, grandchildren, and even the great-grandchildren who could sing joined in to sing with them also.

Daniel took the third verse like they had planned and once again when Egon played the chorus everyone joined in. Egon went to finish the song but Kane stood up and motioned for Egon to continue to play on. Egon did so as Kane went into the next verse.

"You can picture happy gatherings

Round the fireside long ago,

And you think of tearful partings,

When they left you here below."

Once again everyone joined in singing as Echo lifted her head off of Daniel's arm. She looked towards her father and caught his eye. Egon knew what she wanted to do. Slowly he strummed the introduction once again as Echo took a breath and started to sing. When Echo started to sing Egon played chords following his daughter's lead as she sang from her heart, feeling her rendition of how she wanted the next verse to go.

"One by one their seats were emptied," Echo sang slowly.

"One by one they went away," she sang softly.

Here Echo paused and Egon stopped playing completely. Only Echo's voice could be heard echoing up to the stars reaching, hoping her mother and grandmother could hear her.

"Here the circle has been broken

Will it be complete one day?"

Egon softly started playing again as he started the chorus back up. Slowly one by one everyone joined in and Egon played the chorus once again before he finished, took the guitar off, and sat back down along with Kane, Manny, Daniel, and Echo.

No one said a word. It was Manny's turn now. After a long moment of silence in which nothing could be heard but the popping and crackling of the fire Manny finally spoke.

"Father?"

"Yes Manny."

"Can I save my farewell for Lizzie until tomorrow?" Manny asked. "I can't think of a better way to end this fireside than with Uncle Egon's song."

"If that is your wish, then yes you can," Kane replied.

"It is," Manny replied standing up holding a sleeping infant against his chest. "Goodnight Father. Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight Manny," Kane replied getting up himself.

Slowly, quietly the Parnell family said their goodnights and slowly made their way back to their tents. No one wanted to disturb the mood that had been set. Soon only Egon, Echo, and Daniel were alone by the fire with Kane.

"Goodnight Father. Grandpa," Echo said as she hugged and kissed Egon and then Kane. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Egon. Kane," Daniel said shaking the men's hands before turning to escort Echo to her father's tent.

Egon watched them walk away from him. He knew that Daniel would be sleeping in Kane's tent tonight. He was proud of the change that Daniel had taken with his daughter.

"Egon would you like to help me douse the fire?" Kane asked.

Egon turned his face to look into Kane's eyes.

"Actually," Egon said, "I would like to stay up a few more hours. I'll put the fire out before I retire for the night."

Kane watched Egon's face as it slowly changed into sadness. Kane knew that Egon was missing his wife and he needed some time alone.

"Well then," Kane said hugging Egon, "Goodnight son."

"Goodnight Kane," Egon replied glad that Kane hadn't asked him why he wanted to stay up late.

Egon watched Kane walk to his tent before he sat back down on the blanket, that Daniel had left by the fire, and picked up the guitar once again. He placed his left hand onto the neck and started plucking the strings with his right hand. Soon the melody of "Danny Boy" could be heard in the stillness of the night. Egon was missing his family terribly tonight and his heart was aching at the loss.

Glancing down at his right hand Egon noticed the thin gold steel band on his wrist. His daughter had one too. He could see his wife's name engraved on the front. Underneath this was his unborn son's name, Edison.

Edison. His heir that would have kept the Spengler name alive. Egon's hand started shaking and he stopped playing. How he had wanted a son. Eden had known it. Deep down, even with him not telling her, she knew. Eden knew Egon better than he knew himself. Egon brought his right hand up to his face to wipe away a tear. Even if Daniel was to ask Echo to marry him and they were to have a child, the child wouldn't be a Spengler. Egon was the last of a long line of proud men. Men who could produce male heirs. He wished in his heart that Eden had lived so that she could have born him that coveted son. Sometimes, very rarely, Egon wished that Echo had been a boy.

Egon bent over the guitar and wept openingly. What was he thinking? He loved his daughter. He wouldn't change a single day that he had spent with her. Yet his heart yearned for something that he would never have. This was his demon that he had to face alone.

"Oh forgive me Echo," he cried.

Egon knew that this was a secret that he would have to keep from his daughter for the rest of his life. He never wanted her to find out about tonight. His secret desire for a son was not going to come between him and Echo. He would see to it.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Egon was awakened by someone playing with his ponytail. He smiled as he opened his eyes. Before him were the embers of the dying fire. He had fallen asleep and had forgotten to douse it.

Sighing he sat up. He had been dreaming about Eden. She had always woken him up by running her hands through his shoulder length hair.

When Egon had married Eden he had long hair in the front which he wore jelled up but the back had been short. Eden had mentioned to him one day that he might look more distinguished with long hair, all one length, that he could place into a ponytail.

"If you don't like it," she had told him, "you can always go and get it cut. But give it a few months first before you do."

Egon smiled. He had taken Eden up on her suggestion and by the time his daughter was born his hair was just at the top of his shoulders if he let it out of his ponytail. He had been sure that he was going to hate it. He was sure it would get in his way at the University teaching or when he was out on the job with Ray, Peter, and Winston. But surprisingly Egon found it hadn't been a bother. If he placed his hair into a ponytail about one third of the way before the nape of his neck he had found it stayed out of his way. He had attempted to grow his hair longer than his shoulders and found that he didn't like it. It would bother him, or get in his way and away to the barber shop he had gone to have it trimmed back to right above his shoulders.

Again he felt someone going through his hair and turned around. Shocked at who was before him Egon didn't move.

"Hello Sweetheart," the woman dressed in white said to him.

"Eden?!" Egon finally spilled out. "What are you doing here? I released you. Echo released you. What's wrong? Is there something more you need from me?"

"Yes," Eden replied as she squatted down in front of her husband, "there is something that I need from you."

"Anything Eden," Egon replied, "I want for you to be happy where you are. I don't want to have to worry about you hanging about here on earth because of me."

Eden nodded her head. After her death Egon had blamed himself for her untimely passing and had refused to let her soul go. Even Eden's own daughter had held onto her mother in her own way. She had been caught between Earth and Heaven until her family would one day release her. For ten long earth years Eden had sat in limbo not being able to progress but that all changed when her daughter had momentarily died one day in September.

Echo had been sent to her and Eden had explained in the short time that she had what had to be done so that she could move on with her afterlife. Echo had been given a choice that day. She could stay with her mother, or go back with her father on Earth. Eden had explained this to Echo and after understanding what needed to be done Echo had chosen to go back to her father and live. In doing so Echo had been able to set Eden free.

Echo and Egon had released Eden's soul and she had been able to go on to the next level, so to speak, where she had been welcomed by Edison, Egon's father.

"Welcome daughter," Edison told her as he hugged her to his chest.

Eden had been confused.

"Shouldn't I be with my own family, the Parnell's?" she had asked when Edison had released her.

"You can go to them if you want," an older gentleman had told her, "but we really need your help with Egon and Echo right now."

Eden had found out that this gentleman was Eli Spengler. He was Egon's fourth great-grandfather and he seemed to be in charge of the Spengler family here. After Eli had shown Eden what was going to happen in Egon's and Echo's future she had agreed to help in anyway possible. That was why she was here.

"Egon," Eden said taking her hand and placing it on Egon's face, "remember this, I love you."

Egon placed his hand on top of his wife's hand before replying, "Eden, I love you too. What can I do for you?"

"I've been sent to give you a warning," Eden replied as she slowly slid her hand out from under Egon's grasp.

Eli had told her that once she delivered her message she would be called back. There was much work that needed to be done and very little time in which to do it in.

"What is the warning?" Egon asked.

Egon could see that something was troubling his wife. She had that same look in her face the night before she had died. Eden had a secret and it looked as if she was only going to be able to share part of it.

"Egon…," Eden said trailing off and looking around her. She saw that no one was around and turned to lock her eyes upon her husband.

"Egon, they are coming," Eden said in a very serious voice.

A shiver ran down Egon's spine. Eden's voice was low, barely a whisper as she leaned into his ear.

"Professor Tseng has the answer," she said as she started to fade from his view.

Egon saw his wife disappear with only her voice remaining, resonating in the night sky.

"Nokomis' new friend can save us all," Eden's voice said.

Egon woke with a start. It took him a moment to realize that he was in his sleeping bag and not outside by the fire. It was just starting to get light outside as he heard his daughter's voice muttering to herself. Sitting up he strained to listen to Echo.

"Yes, Mother," Echo muttered softly, "I'll tell Father. They are returning from years ago. I love you too."

Egon watched as his daughter rolled over and fell back asleep. So it was a dream he had had about Eden, but it seemed so real to him as he felt his hair longing for his wife's touch. Egon quietly unzipped his sleeping bag and got dressed, placing his hair back into his standard ponytail.

Today was the day that Kane was going to spread his wife's ashes. Unzippering the tent flap Egon slipped through the opening and silently zippered it shut behind him before he headed towards the campfire from last night.

Kane sat before the fire fixing breakfast for his family and Egon knew that he would need help.

"Morning Kane," Egon said as he came up to the older man, "need any help?"

"Morning Son," Kane replied, "and yes, I could always use extra help. You can start with the eggs."

Egon sat down next to Kane and pulled the black Dutch Oven over to him. As he poured the powered egg mixture into the large cast iron pot he struck up a conversation with Kane.

"So," Egon replied as he finished dumping the dry mixture into the pot, "did you sleep well?"

"No," Kane replied as he turned the bacon that was on the upside down lid of the Dutch Oven that sat in the coals of the fire. "I had a strange dream about Lizzie."

"Yeah," Egon said surprised, "I had one about Eden also."

Kane turned to watch Egon pour water into the pot until the egg mixture was moist. As Egon mixed the eggs and water together Kane decided that he could trust him. After all Lizzie didn't say to keep it a secret.

"Egon," Kane said turning his attention back to the bacon he was cooking.

"Yes Kane," Egon replied as he stood up, lifting the Dutch Oven up off the ground to place it into the coals of the fire.

"What do you know about the Book of Revelation?"

"Are you talking about the Bible?"

"Yes."

"Some," Egon replied. "Why?"

Kane sat quietly gathering his thoughts before he spoke again. He knew that Egon wasn't a very religious person and he didn't want to come off sounding like a bible preaching man.

"Lizzie came to me in a dream," Kane finally said. "She said that she had been called back from Earth because she had to help "The Master"."

"Help "The Master"?" Egon questioned as he sat back down on the ground and started to stir the egg mixture. "What did she have to do?"

"Lizzie told me to look up Revelation chapter six and nine. The answers would be there for me."

"And did you?"

"I didn't need to Egon," Kane replied suddenly becoming very quiet.

When Kane spoke again it was barely a whisper, "It talks about the sixth and seventh seals being opened."

Egon stopped stirring the eggs, suddenly very alert. The sixth and seventh seals being opened had to do with the end of the world. Egon knew that the Book of Revelation had a wide variety of interpretations, ranging from good overcoming evil, to complex end of time as we know it scenarios. Turning to Kane he saw that the man's face was rigid. He truly was scared about what Lizzie had said to him in his dream.

"Kane," Egon said quietly, "you know that I'm not a very religious man. The end of the world scenarios have been going on for years. Nothing has happened. I'm the kind of man that looks for scientific explanations first. They explain a lot about life here."

"But what about the life after this one?" Kane questioned. "I know you've been there. So has Echo. What do you consider that?"

Egon fell quiet and returned to stirring the eggs again. He hadn't put much thought into his own death experience. Ray had called it an out of body experience but Egon didn't think that was correct and had told Ray so.

"I truly don't know Kane," Egon finally replied.

"Don't you believe that we all have a soul?" Kane asked turning his face towards his son-in-law.

Egon sighed, "My father would say no, while my mother would say yes. She was the one who was most religious in our family. Katherine was of the Jewish faith, but we never really celebrated any kind of holiday in her faith, only Christmas because that's what everyone else did."

"As for me personally," Egon said as he stopped stirring the eggs, "I didn't really stop and ponder about it until after Eden had died."

"But you work with capturing souls all the time," Kane pointed out, "and placing them…where again?"

"A containment unit," Egon said, "but Kane I don't consider those souls in the containment unit. They are spirits."

"Spirits?" Kane asked, "They are one and the same to me."

"No, there's a big difference to me," Egon replied. "A spirit doesn't inhabit a physical body and as such can influence the will of those around them. Spirits can be loving, helping, and harmless. Or in my case; dangerous, fleeting, hurting, and very powerful. They can be discreet in their haunting often inhabiting places, books, or people."

"A soul on the other hand is the subject of human consciousness and freedom with each one being an individual. This accounts for all the different types of people on earth. For me its another word for self-awareness. Like a concept imagined by human beings to suit their desire to live closer to what some people call a "God"."

"So you don't believe that a soul does not die with the human body?" Kane asked.

"I didn't say that," Egon retorted back, "If that is what you believe in, then I'm not stopping you. Look, just because a concept has been imagined doesn't mean it isn't real. Before gravity was ever confirmed by statistics as a natural law it was imagined in the mind of Isaac Newton first. For me, personally, I need physical proof."

Kane returned to his bacon taking the pieces off of the lid and placing them onto a paper plate while Egon fell back to working with the eggs. After a long moment of silence Kane finally spoke again.

"Egon," Kane said as he rose up from the ground picking up the plate of bacon, "you have had physical proof of a soul twice and still you don't believe."

Egon looked up at Kane and narrowed his eyes at him. What was Kane talking about? He didn't believe that he had ever come into contact with any physical proof of a soul.

"When?" Egon asked Kane as he watched the man walk away from him.

"When you met your father and Eden after they had died," Kane replied.

Egon watched Kane walk over to the pile of blankets that he had set up for the families to eat on. Turning his attention back to the now cooked eggs he heard Kane calling to him.

"Come on Egon," Kane hollowed at him, "you had better get a move on. There are hungry bellies to feed."

Egon smiled. Kane had given him something to think about and just like Lizzie, Kane wouldn't judge Egon about what his final decision would be. Kane had supported his daughter Eden when she had wanted to keep the baby from Ben. Kane may not have liked the circumstances surrounding the baby's conception, but unlike Lizzie's parents, he never disregarded anyone's plea for help. Truly Kane's home was a place of refuge, peace, and immense joy in the people who passed through its doors. Kane may not like Egon's final decision about the difference between a soul and a spirit but Kane would never tell him so to his face, Egon was sure of that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kane's family was gathered in a circle on the top of Survey Peak. A slight breeze was blowing and Echo turned her head so that her hair was billowing off to her left, into the circle. By doing this she was facing her beloved Daniel.

Daniel. What words could she use to describe what he meant to her? Friend? Companion? Soul Mate? "Soon to be her husband," she thought smiling.

Studying Daniel's tanned triangular shaped face, with his warm pale blue eyes and strong jaw line, staring out into the center of the circle Echo knew that she loved him. She had grown to love him over the years that they were together and just like her mother, she was planning on asking Daniel to marry her next month.

Echo reached out and took Daniel's hand into hers. Feeling her hand in his, Daniel turned his face her way. The wind was playing havoc with her hair as she tried to tuck it behind her head with her left hand.

Elbowing Egon, who was standing next to his right side, Daniel took his right hand and reached up and took Echo's hair into his hand. Egon saw what was happening and came behind Daniel to place Echo's hair into a pony tail with a hair band. As he went back to his spot Daniel noticed that Egon's hair was loose now and moving about the man's face. Egon had given up his comfort for his daughter's and Daniel knew that if Egon could move mountains he would do so to make his daughter happy.

Echo silently thanked her father as she turned her attention back to the center of the circle. Manny was standing there. He was the last of the Parnell children to offer his mother their own special farewell. Manny had chosen a poem to read before his mother's ashes were spread to the wind.

Manny had just finished telling everyone gathered there about the last poem that Lizzie had been given. It had been at a dear friend's funeral and the poem had been on the back of the program. Lizzie had tucked it away into her bible where she often kept precious things.

Manny took a deep breath and recited the poem.

_Don't think of her as gone away-_

_Her journey's just begun,_

_Life holds so many facets-_

_This earth is only one._

_Just think of her as resting_

_From the sorrows and the tears_

_In a place of warmth and comfort _

_Where there are no days and years._

Echo felt Daniel release her hand and place his arm across her shoulders, pulling her close to him. She knew that he was trying to help her through the most difficult part of her life and silently thanked him for being there for her.

_Think how she must be wishing_

_That we could know today_

_How nothing but our sadness_

_Can really pass away._

Manny dropped his voice down a notch and finished reciting the poem. His heart was aching at the loss of the only mother he had ever known. This woman who had wanted him when no one else did. It didn't matter what his skin color was or that she was way to old to be raising a child, seeing how his sister Eden was eighteen years older than him at the time. All Lizzie saw was a baby that needed her and she needed him. Lizzie loved him unconditionally and after all wasn't that what a family was all about?

_And think of her as living_

_In the hearts of those she touched…_

_For nothing loved is ever lost-_

_And she was loved so much._

Manny finished speaking and slowly made his way back to Sarah who was holding baby Lizzie. Carefully Manny took the baby from Sarah and buried his face into the sweet child's belly as tears fell from his eyes. Sarah couldn't hear her brothers weeping, but put her arm around him nonetheless, pulling him towards her.

"We all loved her," Joseph said standing next to Sarah, "don't forget that Manny."

"Yes," Sarah spoke out for the first time since they had arrived at Survey Peak, "and we love you too," Sarah's voice stuttered.

Kane let his three adoptive children take some personal time before he cleared his throat. After he had everyone's attention he bent down and picked up the medium sized Tupperware at his feet. Before he had left Flagg Ranch Resort he had poured Lizzie's ashes into the bin. Kane had then poured Ruth's ashes on top. Placing the lid on top Kane had been impressed to stop before he sealed it up for the trip up the mountain. Looking up he saw the mason jar sitting on top of the mantle of the fireplace in their home with a picture of Eden next to it.

Kane walked over and picked up the jar filled with dirt. Kane knew that this wasn't just any dirt. It was dirt from the World Trade Center Site. Lizzie had gone everyday to the site when she had been staying with Egon after Eden was killed. Silently, carefully, so that no one saw her, Lizzie had scooped up a handful of dirt and brought it home. She had asked Egon for the pint sized mason jar and he had given it to her without any questions asked. Lizzie had transferred the dirt to the jar and had continued until the jar was filled. When it was time to leave Lizzie had offered the jar to Egon.

"No," Egon told Lizzie pushing the jar that she held out to him back to her chest, "you need this more than I do right now."

Kane rolled the jar around in his hands. How right Egon had been in his statement. Egon had Echo and they had been each other's hope and courage for the lonely days that followed. Lizzie had Kane, but in her heart she had lost another child and it hurt. The jar of dirt had been Lizzie's only tangible thing of her daughter. Kane walked the jar back over to the Tupperware bin nodding his head as he did so. Slowly he had taken the lid off of the jar and poured the contents into the bin. Now the bin held Lizzie, Ruth, and some remains of Eden. Kane couldn't think of a better way to send the three women off that he loved.

Taking the lid off and setting it aside Kane placed his hand into the bin and slowly stirred the ashes and dirt together one last time before he went around the circle offering each of his family a chance, if they wanted, to take and release the ashes into the air. Benjamin's family was first. While Ben silently placed his hand into the bin and gathered a handful of ashes to release them to the wind, some of Ben's children and grandchildren did not. Kane acknowledged them with a nod of his head. It was their choice if they wanted to take part and release the ashes and Kane wasn't going to force anyone if they felt uncomfortable doing so.

Kane silently went to Tommy next as both he and his son took a handful of ashes and held them up to the wind. Slowly releasing the ash as the wind picked it up and carried it east Kane could see a tear in Tommy's eye. Holding the bin tightly with one hand Kane placed his left hand on Tommy's shoulder. Tommy looked into Kane's face and nodded his thanks placing his own left hand onto Kane's before Kane released his grip and continued on.

Sarah was next as Marcus reached into the bin with his wife. Holding her hand above her head Sarah muttered "I love you" as she released the ashes to be caught by the wind.

Joseph's wife helped him reach into the bin for his mother's ashes as all five of his children did the same. Even the three great-grandchildren didn't want to be left out of holding their great-grandmother one last time.

Kane slowly turned towards Egon, Echo, and Daniel. He knew that Egon and Echo would take some of the ashes but he didn't know Daniel well enough to know if he would do the same. Kane had been talking to Daniel late at night after everyone had gone to bed about religion and how it played a role in his life. Daniel had told him that he had been brought up Presbyterian but he was looking for something different. Kane had told him what he believed in and Daniel had come back for more, asking questions that got deeper and deeper into the teachings of the bible.

Egon and Echo reached inside the bin for some ashes. Kane turned to offer Daniel the chance to say no and was surprised when he reached inside and tentatively took a small handful. Opening his palm up so that the wind took a hold of the ashes Daniel could be heard muttering in his native language.

"Adhraim thu," Daniel said as the wind picked up the ashes and sent them into the air.

Egon turned his head Daniel's way and smiled. Daniel had said "I adore you". He wasn't family and as such didn't want to put his feelings out in the open for everyone to see. By saying his feelings in Gaelic Daniel was able to express what he felt for Echo's Grandmother. Egon knew that Kane had mixed the dirt from the World Trade Center Site in with Lizzie's and Ruth's ashes. He also knew that Eden spoke some Gaelic and replied in kind.

"Eden, Graim thu," Egon said as he slowly released the ashes from his fist.

Echo looked across to her father and said to him, "Ni neart go cur le cheile."

Daniel nodded his agreement. "There's strength in unity," Echo had said and how true that statement was. As a team, with a common goal, more could be accomplished than as an individual. Daniel watched as Echo whispered into her fist before she opened it up to the wind. Soon the ash was taken up into the air from Echo's opened palm and Daniel watched as Kane moved onto Manny.

Manny carefully helped the baby reach inside and together they sent some of Lizzie's ashes into the air. Now only Kane was left. Tilting the bin on its side Kane took into his hand the last of the ashes. Setting the bin down onto the ground Kane stood up and raised his hand above his head. Kane waited until the wind started blowing again before he opened his fist and sent the last of his wife and daughter's ashes into the blue of the sky. As the wind carried the last of the ash from his hand Kane said, "I love you Lizzie, Ruth, and Eden."

The wind picked up the ash and carried it up higher and higher into the troposphere where eventually it met the stratosphere. A young woman watched as the ash slowly combined back together to form two personages. Smiling at each other the two personages took a hold of each other's hands and disappeared from the young woman's view.

"There you are," Jack Hardemeyer said.

The young woman turned away from the void as the scene below her misted over. She was angry that Jack had interrupted her time. When she looked into the void it showed her what she desired most and that was a family. Jack wasn't what she considered her family. She didn't like the man the moment that she had met him. She kept to herself and stayed as far away from Lord Vigo and Gozer as she could.

Lord Vigo was known to keep concubines and as a young desirable woman he had taken her before. She had seen those that went against the orders of Lord Vigo murdered before her eyes. Everyone here was enslaved by Lord Vigo and Gozer and they all wanted to be free, but Jack seemed to be working with them.

"What do you want?" she spat at him.

"Lord Vigo has a mission for us," Jack replied stopping before her.

She turned her face away from Jack and slowly stood up. Each time was getting harder and harder for her to do so.

Jack watched as she stood up and faced him, a frown upon her face.

"When are you due?" he questioned her pointing to her round belly.

"What do you care!" she spat back at him and walked away.

Jack silently cursed to himself and turned to follow her. He had forgotten that Lord Vigo kept concubines and that she was probably one of Vigo's "chosen" girls. He knew that not everyone here liked Lord Vigo or Gozer and kept as far away from the two Gods as possible. He had seen one young woman who was pregnant with Vigo's child kill herself. Could this young woman who was walking ahead of him be in the same predicament? Was she pregnant with Lord Vigo's child or had one of the many men that lived here had had their way with her? Did she also want to kill herself?

Living here was hard enough, but to be a girl was even harder. The women usually stuck together so that when they went to take a bath there was someone always on guard. He had only seen her around twice since he had been here. She seemed to stay to herself and Jack had had to search a long time to find her.

Lord Vigo had summoned Jack and told him to find her. They were needed to help Vigo start the revenge on the men that Jack hated the most. Jack followed her back towards Lord Vigo's living quarters. She seemed to know that there was no way out of this and her shoulders slumped forward the further they went. Suddenly Jack felt sorry for the girl but he knew that there was no way out of the orders that Lord Vigo had given him save one. He stopped and his body twitched as he thought about the only way out of the mission. Closing his eyes he pushed the grim image from his mind. He couldn't do that, not until he had his revenge on Doctor Peter Venkman and his friends. Opening his eyes Jack quickly hurried to catch up to the girl and complete the mission.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_Ray was in the shower when the fire alarm went off. Quickly rinsing off he turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing the towel on the rack nearby._

_As Ray dried off he heard footsteps outside the bathroom door. He knew that he was going to be the last one to the garage and as such he wouldn't be driving Ecto-1A._

_Ray tossed the towel into the hamper and grabbed his underwear and blue jeans hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Dressing quickly he opened the door and hurried down the metal stairs in his bare feet._

_It was cold and he hurried towards his locker marked R. Stantz. Ray saw Winston in the driver's seat using the garage door opener to open the firehouse's doors and cursed at himself for taking that shower. Peter was at Janine's desk getting their next assignment and Egon and his daughter were loading up the back of Ecto-1A with their proton packs, ghost traps, and other equipment that they would need._

_They had just come off of a job an hour ago and he had been the last one to take a shower. "It couldn't be helped," Ray told himself as he pulled his long sleeve black shirt over his head._

"_Hey Ray," Peter said as he passed him on his way to the car, "put a move on it will you."_

"_Yeah Peter," Ray replied as he pulled the tan flight suit out of his locker and stepped into it, "I want to see you showered, shaved, and dressed in under ten minutes."_

"_Ha!" Peter laughed as he opened the passenger side door to Ecto-1A, "That will never happen."_

_Ray grabbed a pair of long black socks and his eight inch high, leather toe side access zippered, Magnum Response black boots. Closing his locker Ray walked over to Ecto-1A carrying his socks and shoes._

"_Why?" Ray questioned as he slid into the back jumper seat behind Peter._

"_First off," Peter said as he closed his door, "I would have let you all go without me. I don't give up my shower time to anyone."_

"_Ain't that the truth," Echo said sliding into the car to face Ray._

"_Isn't," Egon corrected her, "that the truth."_

"_Isn't," Echo said rolling her eyes and putting her seatbelt on._

"_Hey Egon," Peter said turning around in his seat to face his friend, "give the 'Coconut' a break will you."_

"_I will," Egon said putting his seatbelt on as Winston placed the car into gear and backed out of the firehouse, "if you will stop teaching my daughter your bad habits."_

"_Who me?" Peter questioned as he turned back around._

_Ray just shook his head as he put on his socks and shoes watching as Echo opened up her laptop in front of him. She then opened up her backpack that sat in the seat to her left and pulled out a composition book. Opening the book to the page that she wanted she sat the backpack on the floor of the car and put the book in the seat next to her._

"_What are you working on?" Ray asked as he sat up in his seat watching her type into the laptop._

"_I'm finishing up my doctoral paper for my Doctor of Musical Arts in piano," Echo replied, "then I have to work on my essay for applying to Columbia University."_

"_Columbia?" Winston questioned her as he turned left onto Greenwich Street heading downtown, "Isn't that a little early? You're not even graduated from Juilliard yet. What do you want from Columbia?"_

"_A PhD in cell biology," Echo said as she continued to type into her laptop._

_Egon turned his head to look at his daughter and glanced down into her book to see what topic she had picked for her doctoral paper. Her heading read: __**Beethoven's Sonata No. 14 and its connection to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi.**_

_Lifting his head up to look Echo's way he could see her typing quickly and he read along to himself as she did so._

"_**My life is once more a little more pleasant, I'm out and about again, among people-you can hardly believe how desolate, how sad my life has been since these last two years; this change was caused by a sweet, enchanting girl, who loves me and whom I love. After two years, I am again enjoying some moments of bliss, and it is the first time that-I feel that marriage could make me happy, but unfortunately she is not of my station-and now-I certainly could not marry now." (Quote from a letter to Franz Gerhard Wegeler 16 November 1801)**_

_Egon leaned back into his seat and smiled. Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata, was Echo's favorite piece to play. Eden had taught her the first movement, Adagio sostenuto, when she was five years old._

_Egon closed his eyes and remembered back to when Echo had played the piece for her piano recital at the age of six. The movement opened with an octave in the left hand and a triplet figuration in the right. It had a powerful impression upon Egon, who was listening, of a nocturnal scene in which a mournful ghostly voice sounded in the distance._

_Egon stifled a laugh and opened his eyes. Leave it to him to compare classical music to the work that he did._

_Ray frowned looking out the window as they turned onto Chambers Street heading for the eastern end of the road where the Manhattan Municipal Building sat. Ray knew that Winston would take Centre Street south to the entrance for the Brooklyn Bridge._

_Echo paused in her typing and looked up at her uncle to see him pouting; head in his left hand with his left elbow on the window sill._

"_What's wrong Uncle Ray?" she questioned._

"_I wanted to drive," he muttered back to her as he watched the web like pattern of the bridge's cable arrangement as they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge._

"_On the way home Ray," Winston stated to him and then turned his attention back to Peter._

"_Peter," Winston said, "where do we have to go again?"_

"_Atlantic Avenue and Court Street," Peter read from the paper that Janine had given him, "We are to meet a Mr. Bob Diamond at the Trader Joe's grocery store."_

_With sirens blaring the "Ghostbusters" made it to Atlantic Avenue and Court Street in a little under ten minutes. Parking on the right hand side of Atlantic Avenue Peter went to find Mr. Diamond while the rest of the team geared up._

_Egon helped Echo put on her proton pack and then turned to help Ray on with his pack. Echo reached back into Ecto-1A and grabbed one of the two PKE Meters that sat in a plastic box under the seat. Making sure that the instrument was charged she placed the Meter into her homemade belt holder on her right. Her father carried the other PKE Meter on his belt too but her holder also had a place for three empty test tubes in case she came across anything that she wanted to collect._

_The last thing that Echo grabbed before she closed the back of the car up and followed her father across the street was her new 'med' kit. She had just turned sixteen years old last month and Sal, her paramedic mentor for four years, had given the 'med' kit to her as a birthday present._

"_I wish I could be handing you your paramedic certificate but unfortunately you can't even take the test until you turn eighteen," Sal told her as she unwrapped her gift._

"_It's too bad too," Ray had commented, "she knows everything on the test now."_

"_Yeah," Sal had replied as he watched Echo explore her new 'med' kit, "but rules are rules."_

_Echo smiled as she placed the strap over her shoulder and hurried to catch up with her father. She did know the test and had passed an old National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians-Paramedic one that Sal had given her to study with. Crossing the street she slid to a stop under the clock that said Trader Joe's above it, hanging on the side of the brick building._

_Peter was talking to a heavy set man with a receding hairline in his early forties as Echo came to stand by her father and Ray. Listening into the conversation she heard that there was a "poltergeist" type problem in the neighborhood. Eerie noises and stones being thrown at people's feet at night. Echo took out her PKE Meter and started scanning the area as Mr. Diamond continued on with his story._

"_I was at the corner of Clinton Street and Atlantic Avenue," he said as he pointed up the street, "I was just coming out of the Bistro and had crossed over Clinton Street when the ghost grabbed me."_

"_It seized me by the back of the collar of my coat and pushed my hat down over my eyes."_

"_Are you sure it wasn't just someone trying to mug you?" Peter asked pointing the pen he was using to take notes with at the man._

"_Not unless muggers have a Psycho Kinetic Energy reading," Echo stated to Peter._

_Egon turned his head to see his daughter's PKE Meter's wings halfway-raised and the green light on the screen slowly traveling from left to right._

"_What have you got?" Egon asked._

_Standing facing Atlantic Avenue Echo slowly walked forward, across the street, swinging the Meter back and forth. In the middle of the street she stopped and turned to her right. The wings on her Meter were now fully-raised and the green light was traveling quickly across the screen but when she turned to her left the wings went back to halfway and the green light slowly made its way across the screen, only this time from right to left. _

"_I don't understand," Echo said turning to Ray who had followed her out into the street to stop traffic for her._

"_It looks like you have two readings," Ray commented to her, "Spengs what do you think?"_

_Egon came over and stood next to his daughter. He pulled his own Meter out and turned it on. Sure enough when he stood with his back to hers Egon's Meter went wild._

"_You're right Ray," Egon replied bending down towards a manhole cover in the street, "there are two readings here. Echo what's your reading?"_

"_301," she replied._

"_I've got 451," Egon replied, "so either you are picking up the tail end of the ghost that came this way and went down the manhole or…"_

"_Or…," Echo said interrupting her father, "I have a different ghost altogether. I'm reading a Class II. What's yours?"_

"_Class III," Egon said standing up again._

"_Alright!" Ray said getting excited, "Who's in for some sewer action?"_

"_Not me," Winston said holding up his hands, "I've had my fill of sewer tunnels with Vigo."_

"_Peter?" Ray questioned._

"_Are you kidding," Peter replied, "I'm not going underground. I just showered."_

"_Yeah, so did I," Ray retorted back, "but I need someone to back me up."_

"_I'll go Uncle Ray," Echo said turning her Meter off and placing it back on her belt._

"_Echo you can't!" Egon said grabbing her arm and turning her around to face him, "That's a Class III down there!"_

"_So?" Echo replied, "I've dealt with them before and besides Ray's coming with me."_

"_But…," Egon started to say before his daughter cut him off._

"_Look Father," she said placing her hand onto his arm, "I'll be fine. You have the only other PKE Meter. Go help Peter and Winston before they get themselves into trouble."_

"_You heard the 'Coconut'," Peter said patting Egon on the back, "I'll go get the crowbars and my pack."_

"_Her name is Echo!" Egon shouted to Peter's back as he watched him walk the rest of the way across the street to Ecto-1A._

"_Then you and Eden should have named her right away when she was born," Ray replied as he pulled his flashlight off of its place on the left shoulder strap of his pack and turned it on to make sure it was working._

"_Yeah," Egon answered sadly putting his Meter away, "I guess we should have."_

_Peter came back with two crowbars in hand and between him and Ray they were able to pry the cover from its place. Echo shined her light into the open hole. It wasn't that far down, only about three feet deep, and full of dirt. Ray lowered himself into the hole and shinning his flashlight looked below the street. Raising his head back up he turned towards Echo._

"_Looks like we are spelunking Echo," Ray told her._

"_I'll grab the rappelling rope, helmets, and gloves," she said heading across the street to Ecto-1A._

"_Ray," Egon said when Echo was out of earshot, "Promise me you'll keep her safe."_

"_I promise," Ray said waving his hand to where Peter and Winston were following Mr. Diamond down the street, "Now go before you lose those two."_

_Egon smiled and nodded his head leaving Ray to take care of his daughter._

_Leaving their proton packs in Ecto-1A Ray went first down the hole. Ray crawled ahead of Echo, his face in the dirt, down the long two feet height tunnel with only the light from his helmet showing him the way as they talked about Echo's doctoral paper._

"_Countess Giulietta Guicciardi huh," Ray said spitting out a mouthful of dirt, "too bad Beethoven's love life was hampered by class issues."_

"_Yeah I know," Echo replied back, "I really think deep down that if Beethoven hadn't been a commoner he would have married her."_

_They had been crawling like this for five minutes and Ray was about to call a halt to their progress when Echo shouted out to him._

"_The readings just went up Uncle Ray," she called out her voice sounding strange in the confined space._

"_Okay ghostie," Ray said to himself, "where are you?"_

_Traveling a few feet further Ray saw a bulkhead wall in front of him. There was just enough room for Echo to join him in the tight fitting little space before the wall._

"_It's definitely here," Echo said holding out her PKE Meter to the wall its wings fully-raised up._

"_Alright," Ray said feeling along the ground by the wall, "there has to be a way in. You start on that side Echo."_

_Putting her Meter away Echo and Ray worked together feeling down into the dirt until Ray's hand came to something that felt different._

"_Here!" he shouted at Echo starting to dig away at the spot._

_Echo dug with her Uncle Ray pushing the dirt to the side to produced a gray keystone on an archway._

"_There has to be a door underneath," Echo pointed out as she dug deeper, "here look!"_

_Echo's hand found wood beneath the layers of dirt. Ray helped Echo dig out the dirt until the upper third of the wooden door could be seen. The hinges were not on their side so Ray demised that the door must open away from them. Ray turned around and placed both of his feet against the top of the door, braced his back against the dirt behind him, and placed his hands on the ceiling above him._

"_Here goes nothing," he said as he pushed with all his might._

_Slowly, creaking sounds could be heard and then suddenly the door gave way taking Ray and Echo through it with one hundred cubic yards of dirt following them._

_Echo screamed as she slid into the blackness following Ray. She could hear part of the wall giving way behind her and struggled to keep her face above the dirt and debris._

_Echo's helmet came loose and was lost to the sliding dirt as she slid to a stop at the bottom of the pile, all thoughts of the ghost that they had been chasing pushed to the back of her mind._

"_Ray," she choked out as she slowly stood up, took her gloves off, and started brushing the dirt and rocks off of her._

_Taking her small LED flashlight out of her shoulder pocket she turned it on and scanned the room for her uncle. The place was huge. What looked like bedrock was along both sides that was thicker looking at the bottom and narrower looking at the top. Shinning her light above her Echo saw a red brick arched ceiling. She had to be in some kind of tunnel she thought and she turned around to look behind her._

"_Ray!" Echo shouted as she ran to the half buried man in the dirt and rocks._

_Somewhere along the line Ray had lost his helmet also. Quickly clearing the dirt away from his face she saw that he was buried waist deep in the debris and went into her paramedic mode._

"_ABC's," Echo muttered to herself as she quickly took her 'med' kit off of her shoulder and sat it in the dirt beside her._

"_Airway," Echo muttered to herself as she cleared away more dirt from her uncle's chest assessing his ability to take a deep breath, "check."_

"_Breathing," Echo said next as she leaned over Ray's face to feel his breath on her check._

_Echo pulled her face back and opened her 'med' kit pulling her stethoscope out and placing it into her ears. Placing the diaphragm onto Ray's chest she listened to his breathing. She was looking for wheezing; suggesting bronchospasms or crackles and rales; indicating pulmonary edema. Thankfully all she heard was normal breathing._

_Removing the stethoscope from her ears she placed the headset around her neck and pulled the diaphragm up to hang around the top of the blue tubing._

"_Check," she said._

"_Okay last, circulation," Echo said as she saw Ray start to move._

_Echo took her index and middle finger and felt for Ray's carotid pulse manually between his windpipe and large muscle in his neck. Ray's pulse was strong and study and she let out a sigh of relief._

"_Check," she said sitting back onto the ground as she started to clear away the dirt from Ray's lower body._

"_Echo," Ray moaned as he opened his eyes._

"_Right here Uncle Ray," she replied._

_Ray opened his eyes to see a very dirty teenager sitting before him. Her glasses had a crack across the left lens and her flight suit was torn in a couple spots. Her hair was hanging loose on one side as it had worked its way out of her double ponytail that she kept it in when she was out on the job, but she looked well nonetheless._

"_Are you okay?" Ray asked remembering his promise to Egon as he tried to pull himself out of the dirt and rocks._

"_Yes," she replied, "how about you?"_

"_I'm fine…Aha!" Ray cried out as he tried to move his right leg._

_Laying back onto the mound of dirt Ray closed his eyes and placed his right arm across his forehead. He was in excruciating pain and unable to move his leg._

"_What's wrong?" Echo questioned suddenly alert and on her feet._

"_My leg," Ray finally said clearly in pain, "I can't move it."_

"_Which one?" Echo asked as she went back to removing the dirt and rocks from around her uncle._

"_Right!" Ray gritted out, closing his eyes tighter as tears squeezed out the sides._

_Echo finally got down to Ray's tan flight suit and carefully pulled the rocks and dirt from around his waist. Starting at the top Echo worked her way down until she removed a rather large rock from on top of her uncle's right knee._

"_Oh Shit!" Ray hollowed at her, pounding the dirt with his left hand._

"_Sorry," she said as she carefully pushed the dirt back from his knee._

"_Oh No!" she gasped out as she fell back and placed a hand over her mouth._

_Before her was Ray's torn flight suit with a compound open fracture of his knee. Mixed in with the blood and bone was dirt that would lead to a much greater risk of infection. The knee was a mess and she needed to clean the wound right away but stopped on her way to her 'med' kit._

"_When a person has a fractured limb," Sal's voice came into her head, "it is all too common for a paramedic to treat the fracture and completely miss the fact that the patient has a fractured spine."_

_Echo turned her head to face Ray and closed her eyes._

"_Think Echo," she told herself, "you've done your ABC's, you know what caused the injury and you know how to fix it, what's next?"_

"_A head to toe secondary assessment," Echo said opening her eyes._

_Taking a small notebook out of her right breast pocket and a black pen from her shoulder pocket Echo started her neurological assessment on Ray. When she was done with that she did her respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and skin integrity assessment writing down her findings as she went along._

_She knew that Ray's pain was a twenty on a scale of 0 to 10 and it was stabbing and shooting in the description he had given her. She had to give him intravenous morphine if she was even going to get near his knee to clean and splint it._

_Carefully taking Ray's left arm she cut the material of his flight suit with her bandage scissors. Then she placed a rubber tourniquet around his bicep and scrubbed the area with prepackaged gauze squares with chlorhexidine scrub on them._

_Echo wanted to take Ray's mind off of what she was doing and thought about how best to do that. Finally making up her mind on what to do she spoke to him._

"_Uncle Ray," Echo said as she prepared to place the catheter in his arm, "what's it like to be kissed for the first time?"_

_Ray removed his right arm from his forehead, narrowing his eyes at her. What did she want to know that for?_

"_Why do you ask?" he questioned her not realizing that Echo was placing the catheter into his arm._

"_Oh you know," Echo said as she pulled out the stylet and secured the end of the catheter with a cap, "at my age I should be kissing and dating boys."_

"_Who says?"_

"_All the girls at Juilliard," she replied softly as she taped the catheter in place._

"_I get the feeling that you don't want that. Am I right?"_

_Echo nodded her head yes as a tear slid out of her eye._

"_Echo what's the matter?" Ray questioned as he sat up and saw her give him a dose of morphine._

"_I feel like Beethoven. You know… like a commoner. I have the feeling that if I kiss a boy he is going to want more from me," she replied placing the vial that held the morphine back into her 'med' kit. _

_Ray thought about what she had said to him and then it hit him as the morphine slowly worked its way into his system. She wasn't talking about Beethoven or being the only sixteen year old at school who hadn't kissed a boy. She was worrying about those boys who had molested her in the third grade. She probably was thinking that if she started dating boys that she would place herself back into that same situation she had found herself in that day at school._

"_Oh Echo," he said as he reached out with his right hand and pulled her towards him._

_Kissing her softly on her lips before releasing her he told her, "Just because something hasn't worked out for you in the past, doesn't mean there is not someone better in store for you in the future."_

"Raymond," she said to him as he slowly laid back down on the dirt and closed his eyes.

"_Wait," Ray thought to himself as he slowly succumbed to the morphine that Echo had given him. His niece didn't call him Raymond. Only her father Egon did that._

"_Egon," Ray muttered out loud thinking that he had come to rescue the pair._

"No," the girl's voice said again, "it's me Raymond. Your surgery is over."

"_Surgery?" Ray thought trying to fight back the cloud hanging over his mind._

_He was still underground in the old Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, he had found out eight hours later after being rescued. Echo had never left his side. Supporting him because he felt that he was going to die in that tunnel. It had to be Echo talking to him but he didn't remember the ambulance ride to the hospital, let alone any surgery._

"_Echo," Ray spoke again trying to fight his way up and out of his morphine bliss._

"No Raymond," the girl's voice said again, "it's Melody."

"_Melody," Ray said trying to open his eyes._

_Melody had met him at the hospital in Brooklyn when he and Echo had been rescued. After Ray had been evaluated he had been air lifted to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. Doctor Elton Strauss had assessed Ray's knee and had informed Melody that the only way for Ray to be able to walk again was to replace his shattered knee with an artificial one._

_Ray remembered Melody cursing the doctor out and crying over him at the same time. He remembered holding her and Nokomis close and telling them that he loved them both before he went into surgery._

_That must be it, Ray thought as he slowly opened his eyes. He was at Mount Sinai Hospital and he didn't remember anything because of the morphine._

Opening his eyes he saw Melody by his side but where was Nokomis?

"Melody," Ray said as he raised his right hand up for Melody to grasp it before he made it to her face.

"Yes Raymond!" Melody cried, "thank the Lord that you are alive. When I went back to your hospital room they had taken you for your surgery. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Ray narrowed his eyes at her. What was she talking about? She hadn't left his side since she meet him at the hospital. She had cried over his body and he heard her telling him that she loved him too. Ray shook his head trying to clear it. That dang morphine wasn't letting him think straight.

"Raymond what's wrong?" Melody questioned releasing his hand.

"Melody I don't understand what just happened."

"Don't you remember silly?"

"No," Ray said looking into her face, "it must be the morphine that Echo gave me."

"Echo?" Melody questioned, now concerned about her husband.

"Yes Echo," Ray stated seeing her scared face, "She gave me morphine when I shattered my right knee under Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn yesterday."

"Raymond," Melody said grabbing his hand with her trembling one, "that was seven years ago. Don't you remember?"

Ray closed his eyes and thought back. It was just hours ago to him as he heard Melody talking softly into his ear.

"Raymond, it's June 6th, 2015 and you reinjured your leg when we were making love early this morning."

Suddenly visions of Melody and him flashed before Ray's eyes. Her hair against his chest as he kissed the back of her neck. Her round perfect breasts waiting for the touch of his hands upon them. The beauty of her back with the only flaw being a two inch scar on her left hip, courtesy of a fall at an expedition she had been on last year.

Now images of pain came to his mind as he remembered falling and his knee taking most of the force of the blow. Ray remembered the paramedics and questions in Mandarin. He remembered the gurney ride past a startled Ethan. Ray remembered being paraded down the hall with the whole expedition team that Melody commanded watching him, wrapped up in only a hotel sheet.

"Oh just great," Ray moaned opening his eyes, "what is everyone going to think about me now?"

"Don't worry," Melody told him, "I told everyone that you hurt your knee when you fell out of bed and landed on it wrong."

"And they believed you?"

"Everyone except Ethan I think," Melody replied as her voice dropped a notch.

She was sure that Ethan knew what really happened, but he wasn't saying a word to her. Her troubled mind hoped that Ethan would never talk, if he did it would be the end for her.

Ray smiled at his wife, "Well his room was right next to ours so I'm sure he heard 'noises' in the night. But Ethan is a big boy I'm sure he and his wife have done the same thing."

"Ethan isn't married," Melody said softly wishing Ray would drop the subject.

"Oh," Ray said.

Melody knew that she had to come to terms with Ray and it was going to be difficult. She knew what she was walking towards and that was her life with Ray again, but she was afraid of losing herself. When Melody was around Ethan at work she felt that she could be her 'real self'. She was afraid of doing that with Ray and had stopped being honest with him.

Melody feared the conflict and silence that was going to follow when she sat down and talked to Ray. She had told so many lies over the last year that she didn't know how to get back to the truth. Melody sighed. She knew that the beginning of honesty with others was to first be honest with herself.

She had to tell Ray the truth and that statement brought panic to her because she had no idea how it was going to turn out. Would Ray yell at her, stop talking to her, divorce her, or worse hurt her physically? She didn't know the answer, all that she did know was that she would make the situation worse if she heaped on more deception. The truth needed to come out and be dealt with, but Melody knew that it was going to cost her and those that she loved.

"Raymond I'm so sorry," Melody said bursting into tears and laying her head down on the hospital bed.

Ray didn't know what to make of Melody's statement and let it go as he placed his right hand on her head.

"Melody it's okay," Ray said softly to the sobbing woman.

Ray knew that Melody was upset over breaking his knee and causing him pain but he wondered if it was more than that. Even though Melody hadn't been talking to him lately he had noticed that she was irritable most of the time. She had trouble sleeping lately too and was not interested in any of her normal activities that she liked to do. Ray stroked her head and wondered if Melody was feeling worthless. Was she depressed?

Ray knew what depression felt like and then had a scary thought. Was Melody thinking of suicide? He had thought about suicide at one time in his life and had gone through with it too. His sister Jean had saved him that day. Ray knew that if Melody was having thoughts about killing herself that she needed help.

"Melody we'll get through this together," Ray said still stroking her hair.

Melody heard Ray talking to her. Did he know already what had happened? He must and she broke down again. She hated what had happened but couldn't bring herself to talk to her husband about it just yet.


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Everyone was gathered on the top floor of the firehouse with Kylie standing at the head of the table. She was in charge of the new generation of 'Ghostbusters' and as such was also in charge of the meeting that she had called. Eduardo sat to her right and she knew that he was concerned that she shouldn't be over exerting herself. Kylie looked his way and smiled. Eduardo saw her and returned the smile and then mouthed the words "I love you".

Doctor Stringham had come with his wife Grace to examine her that last Friday night. He had drawn blood and had taken a urine sample and on Saturday he had called her back with the good news. Janine had been right, Kylie was pregnant and when she had told her husband, Eduardo had been ecstatic.

"Really?" he questioned her as he pulled Kylie to him and lifted her up off the ground, spinning her around.

Realizing what he was doing Eduardo stopped and sat Kylie back down.

"Did I hurt the baby?" he asked holding her at arms length.

"No honey," she replied.

"Oh good," Eduardo said letting out a breath, "I don't want to hurt our child and I will support you in any decision that you make after he is born."

"He?" Kylie questioned tilting her head, "How do you know it's not going to be a girl?"

"Rivera magic."

"Rivera magic my a…"

"Kylie would you like to get us started?" Egon said interrupting her thoughts, "Echo has to be at St. Luke's Hospital at one for Iris' surgery."

"Of course," she replied.

Kylie looked out over the long square table. She saw Winston sitting to her left with the other older, original "Ghostbusters". On Kylie's right sat the new "Ghostbusters" and Louis Tully their accountant. Looking down the table to Winston, sitting there next to Echo, she saw that he looked pale. Winston was concerned about his wife's surgery today and she knew that he wanted to be out of the firehouse and by her side instead.

"Alright," Kylie said clearing her throat, "we all know why we are here. Yesterday the Sistine Chapel disappeared off the face of Mother Earth. Not only does the United States Military forces want us to investigate, but the government of Italy wants us to go there to help them too."

"Now before we all go rushing off I figured that we all needed a little background information first. Professor Spengler," Kylie said turning to face the man on her left, "the floor is yours."

"Right," Egon said standing up as Kylie sat down.

Picking up some papers from the table he began reading them.

"The Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican City, a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy."

"The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who restored the old Cappella Magna between 1477 and 1480. The chapel is a rectangular brick building whose exterior is unadorned by decorative details. It is 134 feet long, 44 feet in width, and 68 feet at its highest point."

"Wait a minute," Roland interrupted, "are we talking about the same chapel where Michelangelo painted pictures on the walls?"

"Yes, Roland we are," Ray said from the other end of the table, leaning forward, looking over Garret to Roland's face, "only his work is on the ceiling with the Last Judgment the only piece he painted over the alter on the wall."

"But there are other fresco's by other artists throughout the chapel including Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, and Pinturicchio to name a few," Ray continued.

Ray sat back. He had just come back from Korla, China with Melody on Saturday. Nokomis was still missing. Even though Jean had told Ray that she was safe he was still worried about her.

"Okay," Roland said to Ray who had his right leg up on a chair, "so how does something that big just disappear?"

"Magic," Garrett said sitting to Roland's right and snacking on some peanuts.

"Something tells me it's more than just magic," Peter pointed out sitting across the table from him.

"Sure it is Doctor Venkman," Garrett replied as he poured more peanuts into his hand from the bag he had. "Haven't you seen David Copperfield make the Statue of Liberty disappear in 1983?"

"Garrett that was done by simple illusion," Echo pointed out sitting next to her father.

"Prove it," Garrett stated as he placed the handful of peanuts into his mouth.

"Alright, Mr. Copperfield had a setup of two towers on a stage, supporting an arch to hold the huge curtain remember," Echo said. "The TV cameras and live audience only saw the monument through the arch. When the curtain went up Mr. Copperfield played it up to the audience while the stage slowly, and I mean SLOWLY, and imperceptibly turned so that when the curtain came down the statue was hidden behind one of the towers and the audience was looking out to sea."

"But even if the tower hadn't completely hidden the statue, they were so brightly lit that the audience would be night blinded. Mr. Copperfield had also set up two sets of lights. When the 'trick' happened his assistants simply turned off the lights around the statue and turned on the other set for the helicopters to circle around."

"What about the radar blip?" Garret asked pointing at her.

"Oh that," Echo said, "simply a video game animation."

"How do you know that?" Garret questioned her becoming upset, "You weren't even born then!"

"Neither were you," Egon said coming to his daughter's rescue, "but I was and I was also there on that island when Mr. Copperfield happened to be performing that trick. I just happened to stand up before the curtain went up and felt the stage moving; like when you are on an elevator that has reached its destination and you feel that sudden jerk down then up sensation."

"For me it was like I was back on my grandparents' 'dive' boat and felt like I was walking on the deck with the waves splashing against the side. All the other people were sitting down so no one felt the sensation of moving. The only reason I felt it was because I was standing. All the summers I spent with my grandparents on their boat paid off, because I knew what a moving object beneath my feet felt like."

"Okay," Peter said, "but back to Roland's question. How does something that big disappear?"

"I'll say it again," Garrett said, "Magic!"

"We've heard that before," Winston replied, "and I don't think it's true."

"Sure it is," Garrett said trying to make a point, "what if it's an illusion like Doctor Spengler said?"

"Look Garrett," Winston said placing his hands onto the table, "the military has been all over that place. There's a big hole in the ground and no building. If they didn't know any better they would have said it was like an archeological dig."

"So what happened?" Eduardo spoke up and asked.

"More like 'who' happened," Kylie said as she stood back up and Egon sat down.

"Professor Spengler and I have a theory," Kylie said placing her hands on the table, palms down, "we believe that a powerful demon is responsible."

"Who?" Peter questioned.

"It could be Beelzebulb or Azazel," Echo stated.

"Azazel?" Roland questioned, "I haven't heard of him."

"Azazel holds the distinction of being the most mysterious demon in Jewish sacred literature. His presence has been felt throughout the ages, but little is known about his origin. Azazel is a peddler of influence and knowledge," Egon stated.

"Okay, so is it Azazel or Beelzebulb?" Garrett asked.

"That's just it," Kylie said raising her hands up and off of the table, "we don't know."

"We need more information," Egon said. "We need to start at Vatican City. We need PKE and Giga Meter readings for starters."

"So it looks like we're going to Rome," Peter said leaning back in his chair the front legs coming up off of the floor as he did so.

Placing his hands behind his head he said, "We'll do some sightseeing, pick up a souvenir or two."

"I don't think so Doctor Venkman," Louis said to him.

"Why not?" Peter asked taking his hands away from the back of his head and bringing his chair's front legs back down to the floor. "Ain't they providing us with transportation like the time when we went to Paris?"

"Aren't they," Louis corrected him pointing the pencil he was holding Peter's way, "and the answer is no. In case you've forgotten the French cable company sued us for broadcasting five hours of angry cursing ghosts on every channel. They also let a lot of other folks, around their little part of the world, know that we weren't to be trusted."

"But that was over twenty three years ago!" Peter shouted, "surely they have forgotten us by now?"

"I don't think so Peter," Winston replied, "so Louis where does that leave us?"

"The Italian government wants our help, but they are only going to pay for our time there for one day," Louis explained.

"What's our financial situation right now?" Kylie asked Louis who was sitting next to Eduardo's right.

Louis opened his ledger book in front of him.

"It's the end of the month and I just paid the lights, phone, internet, and water bills so we have some money left. Enough for one, maybe two people to go. Although it would be better if you could pay for your own hotel and food while you were there," Louis said looking up at the men and women before him.

"Well I can't go," Winston said, "I have to be with Iris. Besides I don't think that General Kenelm would pay for my expenditures either. His orders were to meet you guys here and try and come up with an answer for him."

"Okay," Kylie said, "and I know that I'm out too. With being pregnant I haven't left the safety of a bathroom in four days now. Any other takers?"

Kylie looked towards Eduardo.

"Not me," Eduardo told his wife, "I'm staying with you."

"Sorry," Ray said, "but I'm not going anywhere on this new knee quite yet."

"I can go," Garrett replied, "but I can't pay for the hotel or meals. I just spent all my money on vacation."

"Same here," Roland replied.

"Alright," Kylie said, "if we have to you two can go and we'll just come up with the money somehow."

"Where is that 'somehow money' going to be appearing from?" Eduardo questioned her looking Kylie right in the eye.

Kylie looked away from him. She knew where the money was coming from and she also knew that he would disapprove.

Eduardo saw her look away from him and knew that she was hiding something.

"Spill it spooky little lady," Eduardo sternly told her.

"My Great-Grandmother Rose's estate," Kylie said quietly.

Kylie's Great-Grandmother Rose had left everything to her when she had died. That was how Kylie had been able to put herself through college. There was still some money left and Eduardo had told her to save it for a rainy day.

Eduardo rose up from his seat, "Over my dead body! What about you Professor? Doctor Spengler?" Eduardo asked looking Egon's and Echo's way.

"I wish I could go," Echo said, "I truly do, but after Iris' surgery today I have to practice with Daniel for our tour that we are starting on July 3rd. I'm going to be out for two months. We'll return September 1st."

"I'm sorry too Kylie," Egon said, "but as Dean of the Psychology Department I have a number of interviews that I had to reschedule because of Lizzie Parnell's passing. I can't reschedule them again."

"I'll go Kylie," Peter said standing up as Eduardo sat back down, "Keep the money in the bank Louis. I'll talk to Jason and Grant, maybe they will flip the bill if we film some footage over there for Ghost Hunters International."

"Ghost Hunters International?" Ray said to himself rubbing his chin.

"Yeah," Peter replied, "it's a spin off of Ghost Hunters."

"I'll go with you Dad," Oscar said from the couch, "I have to conduct the Rome Symphony Orchestra anyways. Richard Prior, their conductor and music director, had an accident and broke his arm. Their next concert is July 4th, so Louis you can also keep the money right where it belongs. In the bank."

"When did you hear about that?" Dana asked her son sitting next to him.

"Last night," Oscar replied.

"Is that what that phone call was for at three in the morning?" Peter questioned. "All I got was someone speaking gibberish to me."

"He was speaking Italian to you Dad," Oscar replied as he rose up from the couch and crossed to Peter's side, "and it was nine in the morning their time."

"So Father and Son outing?" Peter questioned as he took Oscar's outstretched hand and shook it.

"Something like that Dad," Oscar replied releasing Peter's hand.

"That settles it then," Kylie said, "Peter and Oscar will be going to Vatican City. Check in with Professor Spengler before you go. Roland and Garrett why don't you get to work and do some research and find out which demons are still on the loose. Eduardo and I will write up a list of those that are in the containment unit so we aren't chasing after something we haven't already caught."

Kylie looked out over the people before her. "Any questions?"

Ray raised his hand.

"Yes, Doctor Stantz," Kylie said.

"I have a comment and not really a question," Ray said. "I think Peter's idea of a Ghost Hunters International is a great idea, only we should do it ourselves."

"Do what Ray?" Peter questioned his friend.

"Have our own version of "Ghostbusters International"," Ray said getting excited. "Just look at it from my point of view. We have all had to go outside of NYC to bust some really nasty ghosts at times, right? And that costs us a lot of money, right? So instead of us, why not someone else?"

"Just think about it," Ray said as he raised his hands up from his lap, "we could be the corporate headquarters right here in New York," Ray said pointing his fingers at the floor, "with franchises in many geographical locations."

Ray used the fingers of his right hand to count off with. "We could have franchises throughout the United States as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and Italy."

"Each franchise would be responsible for putting together a team and keeping up with the maintenance and care of their uniforms, equipment, containment unit, and so on. Each franchise would have their own business with us getting a kick back of, oh-say 10% of their profits for the month."

"Ten percent Ray?" Peter questioned as he narrowed his eyes at the man. "Shouldn't we be charging more like 50%?"

"Uncle Peter," Echo said, "do you even know what 10% of our normal entrapment and proton charging is?"

"No," Peter said, "why?"

"Peter," Egon said, "Ten percent of five thousand dollars is five hundred dollars."

"Five hundred dollars?" Peter said taken back. "For doing nothing?"

"That's right Peter," Ray said, "five hundred dollars for them doing the work for us. Then I figure after maybe a year or two we could reduce it to say 5%. Louis what do you think?"

"Financially it could give our business a real boost," Louis said turning a page of his ledger book, "even with just fifty dollars coming in each time means no more pinching pennies for us. I'm in."

"Kylie," Ray said, "you're in charge of the new team of "Ghostbusters", even though Egon, Peter, and I are the owners, I still want your opinion."

Kylie thought about it. She had been on those long, out of town trips and knew that they were sometimes very strenuous and tiring. Kylie nodded her head. It would be good to have someone else to call if they got backed up and couldn't get to a call right away.

Kylie also knew that right now she was out of the picture because she wasn't feeling well. Once she was feeling better she would go back out on calls with the others again. And then what would happen when the baby was born next year? Would she continue to go on calls and leave the baby where?

Egon had done it when his daughter was born, but he had had his wife that had taken care of Echo. That was until Eden had died. After that it had become hard for the single father. Echo would be left in the care of Janine and Louis until Peter finally convinced Egon to bring her along. Echo was thirteen years old when that had happened.

Even though Eduardo was healthy she knew that the line of work that they did could cause her to lose him. Kylie had almost lost him in September of 2011. He had dislocated his shoulder and had broken his ribs when he had fallen down a hole, but the biggest loss had been to her mentor Professor Spengler.

His daughter Echo had saved Eduardo only to have her own life almost taken away. Kylie had seen Professor Spengler living in a haze for a week. Not knowing if his daughter would live or die. Kylie didn't want that.

Making up her mind Kylie finally answered Ray.

"I agree," Kylie said to Ray, "We need outside help and I would like to put it to a vote. All those in favor of a "Ghostbusters International" organization like Doctor Stantz is proposing say "I"," Kylie finished raising her right hand up in the air.

"I," the rest of the people at the table along with Dana, Oscar, and Janine said all raising their hands up in the air too.

"Then you have your "Ghostbusters International" organization Doctor Stantz," Kylie said dropping her hand back down, "We just need to get it started somehow."

"Leave that to Louis, Janine, and me," Ray said taking his right leg off of the chair and slowly standing up. "We'll have something written up before Peter and Oscar leave for Italy."

"Good," Kylie said, "in that case meeting adjourned."

Kylie watched as the members of the "Ghostbusters" both old and new got up and slowly made their way to the stairs that led down to the lower floors of the firehouse. Only Eduardo was left by her side. Suddenly feeling very spent Kylie slid down into her chair. She wondered if she had made the right call.

She knew that the people who looked up to her thought so, but Kylie had her doubts. She had never really been one to be in charge of other people's lives. Now here she was in charge of that decision every day, by sending Roland, Garrett, and even her beloved Eduardo out into the field and telling them where to go sometimes.

Everyone had problems and crisis at any time in their life. It was her job instead of getting angry, upset and blaming the person to solve the problem. Egon had told her that a good leader is a good problem solver.

"You will rise in life as you develop the ability to solve problems," Professor Spengler had told her when he and Ray had hired her. "The bigger the problem you can solve, the more respect you will gain. So rather than complaining and being upset, start thinking about the solution and taking action."

Kylie remembered Janine's advice to her also.

"Kylie my dear," Janine said as she was leaving for the day, "Everyone is watching you. You are setting the tone for the business. They are observing you and following what you do."

Kylie had been taken back by Janine's statement as she watched the older woman gather her things together.

"Kylie," Janine said pausing at the firehouse's door and turning to face the young girl standing before her, "Ask yourself a question. What kind of person are you and if you want everyone in the firehouse to be just like you? Always imagine you are being watched even if no one is around."

With that statement being said Janine had left Kylie standing there to stay at the firehouse overnight.

Kylie had gone upstairs to sleep in one of the four beds that the original team had set up. Unable to sleep she had sat awake thinking about her responsibilities. She was young, having just turned seventeen years old in February. She was replacing Doctor Ray Stantz who had just undergone surgery for his right knee.

She really hadn't thought about herself as being a leader. Could she trust the others under her? What was the point of being a leader if she didn't trust her fellow workers?

But as the years passed she found that she had become a leader. Kylie had learned how to accept praise, but she had also learned how to accept blame, knowing that it was on her watch that the trouble had started. She had learned that the company's true assets were the people who worked there. Somewhere along the line most of the companies in the New York area had started thinking of employees as some sort of plug-compatible, hire today, fire tomorrow kind of 'resource'. Kylie had seen and felt this in her dealings with the local business men and women. She didn't want the "Ghostbusters" business to be that way.

Kylie had seen that many of the companies that she dealt with would outsource most of their functions be it customer support or licensing. The companies then became little more than a shell designed only to make executive's salaries fat. There was a major problem with this. Employees were not stupid. Employees would leave and go to where they were treated fairly, often to the companies' competition. And what could the companies do? Not much. They had treated their employees as if they were furniture, who would want to stay?

Kylie respected her fellow workers. She knew that their knowledge was a true asset to her and the rest of her team. She had led the way and had asked the others to follow. It had taken guts to strike out and even greater guts to ask Roland, Garrett, and Eduardo to follow her lead, especially when the path ahead was dark and uncertain.

Doctor Echo Spengler had compared Kylie's leadership to a conductor of an orchestra.

"The conductor of an orchestra," Echo had told her, "chooses the best performers, directs them in the way she wishes them to perform, and then leads them in the performance."

To Kylie this was the greatest test of a true leader and the final responsibility. Only she could show the group where to go, and ultimately, it wasn't until that instant when she set off that she would know if the group would follow.

Eduardo took Kylie's hand breaking her from her thoughts. She let Eduardo help her stand up and walk her towards the stairs. She loved him and knew that he would follow her to the ends of the earth and trembled for a moment at the thought.

Kylie knew that if she was a true leader the others would follow her. They may be terrified, or they may be mesmerized, but they would follow. No questions asked.

Eduardo stopped at the top of the stairs and turned out the lights before helping Kylie down to the second floor to place her in their bed. She needed rest.

Kylie was a leader even if she didn't think of herself as one and what words define a person as a leader? Courageous? Dedicated? Influential? Trustworthy? A leader is not defined by words or the distance she or he travels, but whether anyone is following behind them in the end.


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Winston slid his Metro Card through the slot on the left hand side of the turnstile at the Franklin Street Station and followed Echo down the ramp to the trains.

It had been four years since he had stepped foot back into the city. After Winston had married Iris they had stayed in the city in Egon's old studio apartment in Morningside Heights, a few blocks from Columbia University.

Their lives had been routine until September 11th, 2001. Sitting helpless next to Iris' side and watching the television, Winston knew that he had to do something, anything.

Like so many others, the anger over 9/11 spurred Winston and he had walked into his local Air Force recruiting office the next day, along with others, and had reenlisted in the Air Force. The recruiting officer, after having found out that Winston had flown helicopters in Vietnam, had recommended him for fighter jets.

The Air Force had a need for pilots and Winston had jumped at the chance to learn to fly planes. After that, it had been a whirlwind for him and Iris.

Moving from New York to another state for six months and then moving to a different state after that. Leaving Iris to go overseas for Iraqi Freedom in 2003, and then when he had come back, to be told he was being transferred once again.

Iris and him had lived in almost every state in America at one time or another. The state that Iris had loved the most was Virginia.

"It reminds me of my childhood home," Iris had told him when he got stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

Winston stopped next to Echo as they waited on the platform for the #1 train to take them uptown.

"Echo," Winston said, "I want to thank you for finding out what was wrong with Iris."

"Winston," Echo replied, "you don't need to thank me. Iris was my mother's best friend. It's an honor for me to help you out."

Winston nodded his head as he felt the pressure in the underground tunnel suddenly change. The subway train came into view from his right. Waiting for the train to stop and its doors to open, Winston followed Echo onto the train and allowed her to take the seat while he stood and held onto the overhead handrail.

It was good to see Echo healthy and walking about. The last time he had seen her was in a hospital bed in a coma. Janine had called him early one Saturday morning.

He and Iris were living in Anchorage, Alaska at the time. The couple was used to phone calls at all hours of the day and night. Winston had figured that the call was from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and had picked up the receiver without looking at the phone's identification first.

"Lieutenant Colonel Zeddemore here," Winston sleepily replied as he sat up and tossed the bed covers off of his body.

Janine's voice had surprised him as he stood up next to the bed. He had been grateful that he hadn't moved away from the bed because after Janine had told him the reason for her call he had fallen down, the bed having saved his backside from the hard wooden floor.

"Winston?" Iris asked, concerned upon seeing her husband slide off the bed and fall to the ground, "what's wrong?"

"Echo's been hurt," he had replied as the phone's receiver dropped from his hand to the floor. "She's in a coma."

"Go," Iris said getting out of bed and rushing to his side. "Don't worry about me. Take as much time as the Air Force will give you. Echo is my best friend's daughter. Help Egon and her in anyway that you can."

Winston had phoned his superior and was given the month off if he would do one thing for him first. Winston had been flown down to Sydney, Australia on a military transport aircraft flight. From there he had picked up Oscar Venkman and had flown the new F-35 Lightning II back to Washington D.C. with Oscar riding behind him in the copilot's seat.

Oscar had been ecstatic when they had landed on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling's runway and taxied to the hanger.

"That was the best Uncle Winston!" Oscar had shouted at him as the Airmen came to help the pair down from the cockpit.

Winston had smiled at him. Even though Oscar was twenty-two years old at the time he acted like he was five years old by how he was carrying on.

Winston and Oscar had been given a ride over the Anacostia River and into Washington D.C. where they had caught the Acela Express at Union Station to take them into Penn Station, New York. Winston and Oscar had met Janine, Louis and their twins at the firehouse a little over three hours later.

That was when he had found out that not only was Echo hurt, but Eduardo and Garrett too.

Garrett had been the only lucky one. He had stitches in his leg from a tree branch that had struck him. Eduardo had broken ribs, a laceration, and a dislocated shoulder, but Echo was the one who was the worse off.

Winston had spent the week at either the firehouse or Ray's house at night and the hospital during the day. He had seen first hand how hard it had been on Egon. Winston was having a hard time sleeping at night because he was worrying about Echo, and he knew that Egon was having nightmares at night over her.

Egon had started out the week in a three piece suit, clean shaven and hair neatly placed in a ponytail, but as the days went along Egon had stopped shaving and wearing his three piece suits. The last time Winston had seen Egon, before his daughter had woken up from her coma, he was sporting a beard and only a jacket. His tie hadn't matched the color of his jacket and his hair was longer, hastily placed into his standard ponytail, but Egon's face had told the unspoken story.

Usually a quiet man that spent his days teaching, Egon had become overly quiet and reclusive, often retreating into his old lab and locking the door behind him. Winston had, on more than one occasion, heard him weeping behind that closed door in the firehouse.

When Egon had emerged his face had been taunt with worry and fear. Winston had seen that face before, when Egon's wife had been killed ten years ago. Egon had sported that same face for the week that Echo had been in the hospital and now he knew too how the man had felt firsthand.

The train started to slow down and Winston offered Echo his hand. Echo held onto his hand as she stood up and placed her feet apart. Winston knew that she was a real New Yorker as she swayed with the train as it ground to a halt.

Winston let go of Echo's hand and let her lead the way off of the train as he followed behind her to the stairs that led to street level.

It was good to be back in the city and around familiar things. They were going to St. Luke's Hospital on 1111 Amsterdam Avenue. Iris and him had traveled these same subways for many years before they had left New York City, but if he let his guard down Winston would find himself much like Egon was four years ago. Worry and fear had been Winston's constant companions now for the past month. Now it was coming to a close thanks in part to Egon's daughter.

Doctor Echo Spengler had been the answer to Winston's prayers. She had diagnosed Iris' problem in a few short hours.

Winston took his sunglasses out of his ABU jacket's chest pocket and placed them on his face as they emerged into the sun from the subway. Walking down Broadway, with Echo by his side, they headed for 114th Street.

"Echo, why didn't the military doctor's find this sooner?" Winston asked.

"I don't know," Echo replied as she turned her face to look at her uncle. "I can't speak for them. Maybe they just didn't think to look for cancer again in her reproductive system."

"But you did."

Echo turned her face away from Winston to look for traffic before they crossed Broadway.

Sighing, Echo answered Winston, "It was the first logical place for me to look. Vaginal cancer is a rare cancer if it begins in the vagina, but knowing Iris' history it wasn't that unlikely for the uterine cancer cells to spread if her chemotherapy didn't get them all."

Winston nodded his head as he waited for the traffic on Broadway to come to a stop so that they could cross the street. He knew that Echo was going to be performing Iris' surgery. Echo would be removing part of the vagina, a partial vaginectomy. She hoped that a radical vaginectomy wasn't necessary.

"Iris will have to undergo radiation therapy this time," Echo had told him.

"Why not chemotherapy?" Winston had asked her.

"Chemotherapy isn't useful on this type of cancer," Echo had replied.

The light turned green and Winston and Echo crossed Broadway and headed down 114th Street for St. Luke's Hospital. A short time later they crossed Amsterdam Avenue and Winston held the door open to allow Echo to go first into the hospital. They stopped at the front desk so that Winston could pick up his visitor's badge before they headed down the hallway to the bank of elevators.

Echo pushed the up button to call the elevator down. She knew that Winston was worried and she didn't know how to put his mind at ease. The military doctors had missed diagnosing Iris' cancer and she knew that had made Winston upset. She had no way of explaining the other doctor's mistake. She didn't know what the other doctors were thinking when they hadn't given Iris a pelvic exam. Was it that they were 'older' doctors and didn't think that Iris needed one after having a hysterectomy? She didn't know and she didn't want to try and guess. Echo only wanted Iris better for Winston's sake.

The elevator's doors opened and Echo stepped inside, Winston following. Winston had taken his sunglasses off when they had come through the hospital's doors. Echo could now see his large, dark brown eyes that had lines under them. She knew that Winston had gotten little to no sleep on the trip up here from Brandywine, Maryland.

Her father had been called on Monday late afternoon to be told that Winston, Iris, and Shelly were coming to NYC. They had been at home when the call had come and Echo had told Winston to have the military transport drop them off at St. Luke's Hospital, where she worked part-time, after Winston told her that Iris was still sick.

Echo had then gone downstairs to the computer and had 'Skyped' Iris' doctors. They had videoconferenced with her and had file transferred all of Iris' records and test results. For two hours Echo had gone over all of Iris' records, lab tests, radiographs, and even her MRI. The only thing that she hadn't seen was a pelvic exam and pap test.

When Echo had arrived at St. Luke's Hospital the first thing that she had done was to give Iris a pelvic exam and pap test. The pap test had come back with vaginal cancer cells. Now that Echo knew what she was dealing with she had taken a biopsy during a colposcopy and had the sample sent STAT to the lab. While Echo was waiting for the results Doctor Paul Stringham had performed another MRI for her, this time concentrating on Iris' pelvic region.

"Good news Echo," Paul had told her, "looks like Stage I. You caught it in time."

Echo had gone into Iris' hospital room where Winston and Shelly were waiting.

"Winston," Echo had said, "I need a word with you in private."

Winston had left Iris in Shelly's care and had followed Echo out of his wife's hospital room and down the hall. Opening the door to Paul's office that she shared with him, Echo let Winston walk through the door before she had closed it behind her.

Neither one could sit and Echo had placed her back up against the door as she told Winston what was wrong with his wife.

"Thank you," Winston had said nodding his head, "Thank you for saving her."

The elevator doors opening pulled Echo out of her thoughts. Stepping out of the elevator, Winston followed Echo to his wife's room. He watched as she greeted the staff at the nurses' station on the way down the hallway.

Echo's light brown hair bounced slightly when she moved as Winston watched her back. She had certainly grown into a beautiful, fine looking, young woman and he knew that Egon was proud of her and everything that she had accomplished so far in her life. Echo stopped before Iris' room to allow him to go inside first. Smiling Winston stepped past her to see Iris sitting up in bed with Shelly in a chair by her side.

"Hi Winston," Shelly said looking up from the book that she had been reading.

Winston quickly crossed the room to kiss his wife and ruffle his daughter's hair.

"Winston," Iris said as she saw Shelly trying to duck away from Winston's left hand, "Shelly is not a little girl. She doesn't like that."

"Sorry," Winston replied as he turned to look at Shelly taking his hand away from her head.

"Thanks a lot Winston," Shelly replied as she reached up to touch her hair with her right hand, "now it's all messed up."

"Shelly," Echo replied by the door, "why don't you come with me. I'll show you where you can freshen up."

Shelly placed her open book, cover up, onto the chair so she wouldn't loose her place as she got up off the chair to follow Echo.

"Iris," she said halfway to the door, "I'll finish reading when I get back."

"Not a problem," Iris said waving at her daughter with her left hand, "Winston can read to me while you are gone."

Winston watched as Shelly and Echo left the room and then turned to pick up the black book from the chair before he sat down. He knew that Iris loved being read to when she didn't feel well.

"So," Winston inquired, "where are you two?"

"Shelly just finished reading chapter twenty and was starting on the next one," Iris stated as she closed her eyes.

Winston quickly scanned the book until he found what he was looking for and started to read to Iris.

Iris opened her eyes and told him that Shelly had read that part already.

"Alright," Winston said looking over the top of the book at her, "give me a clue where she left off."

Iris leaned back on her pillow and closed her eyes before she answered him.

"_And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." _

"Iris," Winston said placing the Bible into his lap, "why are you wanting Revelations read to you now? I figured you wanted stories of healing and life."

"I can't explain it Winston," Iris said sitting up and opening her eyes. "I feel as if something awful is about to happen."

"What?"

"I don't know, but I have a strong feeling that the conflict between right and wrong are about to do battle and our salvation is at stake. But this time, however, there can be no neutral players. You either side with good or with evil."

Winston reached out and took Iris' right hand into his left one. They were both a religious pair and if Iris was worried, so was he. Winston knew that this went deeper than Iris' upcoming surgery. They had talked about this briefly on the trip up from Maryland. Winston knew that Iris was worried about leaving him.

"You're not going anywhere," Winston told her.

"Yes I am," she replied.

"Winston there is a time for everything," she stated and looked out the military transport's windows, a tear in her eye.

Winston could see the tear in Iris' eye now as she laid her head back on the pillow and turned her face towards him.

Weakly smiling she said, "I love you, Winston."

"I love you too," Winston said as he leaned forward to place his head next to Iris' on the bed.

Iris leaned forward and kissed her husband before pulling away.

"Promise me something," she asked.

"Anything."

"Place Virginia Iris flowers on my grave ever year on my birthday."

"Iris…," Winston started to say before she cut him off by placing her index finger of her left hand on his lips.

"And…," Iris said removing her finger, "that you will bury my body in the state of Virginia."

"Iris you are not going to die today," Winston whispered into her ear.

"No, maybe not today," she replied, "but someday, soon. Winston this time is different. I can feel it. I am going to be positive about the surgery and radiation therapy but…," Iris trailed off.

Winston nodded his head and released her hand to place his arms around her, pulling her close. It was hard to say goodbye to Iris, but he knew that putting off meaningful conversation with her was perhaps the number one source of regret for most people. But Winston couldn't bring himself to talk to Iris about it, just like he couldn't talk about it on the trip up to New York City. How could he find the right words to describe his deepest feelings for her? The pain of someday losing Iris was going to shatter his heart. Iris, who Winston loved and cared about deeply, was someday going to be taken away from him and somehow, in the mix of emotions, the entire situation seemed unfair.

Speaking was an easy task, but finding the right words to say to Iris were not. It was so much easier to learn about Iris' illness then to speak to her about the averred future. And how was he suppose to tell Shelly? Shelly who wanted nothing more than a family again, only to have it taken away.

Winston sighed. No he couldn't do this, not now. Not when they were so close to getting Iris better, yet Iris felt that something was going to happen. Iris had had these feelings before. First it had been about the voices in her apartment's bathtub, then it was Eden getting killed. That had been the worst. Iris had a disturbing dream about Eden two weeks before she was killed in the Twin Towers. No one could console her and Iris hadn't told a soul about what she had seen. "Was this time the same as then," Winston wondered as he held Iris close to his chest. Would Iris not tell a soul what she was feeling until it was too late? Winston hoped not as he heard the door to Iris' room open. The time had come for her surgery.

Winston released Iris to see Shelly plop herself down on the end of Iris' hospital bed. Her hair that he had ruffled was now combed and back the way she liked it. Echo came to a stop before Winston.

"Do you need a few moments alone before I send the nurse to take you upstairs?" Echo asked Iris.

Iris, being a retired nurse, knew what Echo was talking about. She knew that an hour before her surgery she had to go to what Iris referred to as "pre-op". The preoperative holding room was where she would be given an intravenous catheter and her family most likely would be asked to wait in the surgery waiting area.

Once Iris was in the operating room she knew that she would breathe oxygen through a mask as the anesthesiologist gave her medication through her catheter that would quickly put her to sleep. She had assisted with enough surgeries in her lifetime to know what to expect. When she was fully asleep Echo would start her surgery.

After her operation was over, Echo would let Winston and Shelly know how she was doing while Grace, her nurse, and Paul, who was a doctor, would stay by her side in a post anesthesia care unit or recovery room.

Iris had insisted that Grace and Paul be with her during and after her surgery. Even though Paul was not a surgeon by trade, Iris wanted her old roommate's husband to take care of her, just like he had done the night when she had been attacked by Eden's dead boyfriend.

Grace and Paul would monitor her blood pressure and heart rate as well as check on her bandage and incision. Iris also knew that Grace would ask her questions and instruct her to take deep breaths and to cough from time to time. This was to help remove congestion from her lungs and prevent pneumonia.

Iris had been through this before with her hysterectomy.

After Iris' hysterectomy she had a PCA. PCA stood for patient-controlled analgesia pump that allowed Iris to get a safe dose of pain medication through her catheter with the push of a button. She had requested this from Echo during her exam and Echo had agreed. She knew that Echo was concerned about her comfort and didn't want her in severe pain.

Iris turned to glance at Winston who smiled at her in return. She knew that he wasn't going to tell her what she should do. That wasn't his place. She was the only one who knew when the time was right for her surgery.

"Echo," Iris said looking away from Winston and towards her instead, "can you give me ten minutes alone with my family?"

"Of course," Echo replied as she turned and walked across the room.

Winston turned his head to watch as Echo closed the door to Iris' room behind her.

"Winston," Iris said, "can you please read me Psalms Chapter 23 before my surgery?" she asked as she closed her eyes and laid back on her pillow.

Winston turned his face back to his lap as he picked up the Bible and flipped back until he found what Iris wanted.

"The Lord is my shepherd," Winston started to read, "I shall not want."

Shelly joined in to recite the words while Winston read them aloud.

"He restoreth my soul," Shelly and Winston said together.

Iris now joined in with them,.

"Yea, thought I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…," Winston trailed off leaving Shelly and Iris reciting alone.

He could do this. No matter what happened in the end, Winston would get through it. With or without his love. He glanced up from the Bible, a tear falling from the corner of his eye, and looked at his daughter sitting on the end of the bed. Shelly caught his eye.

"I will fear no evil…," Shelly trailed off as she too stopped reciting, worry filling her face as she stared at her adoptive Father's face.

Only Iris' voice was left.

"…for thou at with me. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life," Iris finished alone.

Winston knew that Iris' suffering drew her apart from worldly cares and brought her closer to her family and what was really important in this life.

Husband and children were foremost in Iris' mind as she felt the love from those around her. She would get through this with their help and support, but she also knew something was coming. Something from long ago. Iris just couldn't put her finger on it quite yet.


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Nokomis stirred in her fitful sleep as she tried to get comfortable against Jin's shoulder. Jin sensed that she was going to move before she even adjusted her head against him and called out softly to her.

"Noko?"

"Hai," she replied weakly.

Jin knew that she wouldn't understand him but asked the question anyways.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked in Japanese.

"Sori," she replied weakly not even bothering to open her eyes this time.

Jin held her fevered body tighter and wished that the rain would stop so that he could get her to an apothecary. Placing his chin on top of her head he closed his eyes and also tried to sleep.

It was almost a month since Noko had come into his life. For the first week they had stayed at the Enkiri Dera Temple until she felt up to walking. Every day and night he had kept watch over her, fed her, and placed ointment on her burns. He had even wrapped her left hand, which had a cut across the palm, every day with clean strips of cloth that the nun's had brought to him.

Jin remembered how Noko had watched him, sitting up in bed, as he took the thick, tapered, spiny leaves of the "royal plant" and cut them in half, along its length, to obtain the gel inside with his wakizashi sword.

Jin had used the "royal plant" for embrocations on himself after an altercation with a former student. He knew that the clear gel inside the leaf had an immediate soothing effect and it also placed a protective coat over the affected area. In his case it had sped up the healing rate of the deep gash on his left shoulder.

When Jin had brought the leaf to her Noko had cried out when he tenderly applied the gel to her back. Soon however her cries had died down when she realized that the gel felt good on her burnt skin.

"Luhui?" she asked in Mandarin as she took the Aloe Vera leaf from his hands pointing at it.

They played this game often when she needed to know a word. She would hold an object in her hands or point to it and ask him what he called it. He had grown used to it by the third day and he was even learning her words too.

"Aroe," he answered taking the plant leaf back, sitting in front of her now and reached for the bed sheet she clutched to her chest.

"Hey," she cried out in English seeing where his hand was going, "what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Jin dropped his hand when he saw her trying to back away from him. Noko clearly didn't understand what he wanted to do. And yet here was that second language that she knew. Being a girl and him being a young man he demised that she thought he wanted something more from her.

"Shinai," he said shaking his head no.

Jin knew he would have to show her what he wanted to do and slid his left arm out of his kimono's sleeve to reveal his white gi underneath. Pulling open the top of the gi Jin placed some of the gel onto his fingers and rubbed it into his chest.

"Hai?" he asked her when she saw what he was doing.

"Not on my breasts you don't!" she spat back at him in Mandarin.

Jin had seen her point to her breasts and even though he didn't know what she had said back to him he spoke to her anyways.

"I've seen your breast's when you were flapping the sheet around the first night remember?" Jin said as he pantomimed flapping a sheet against his chest.

"Sori," Nokomis replied not understanding what Jin wanted.

Jin sighed, putting the leaf on the floor in front of him. He wished she would choose only one language to speak to him in. He had forgotten that he must go slowly with his new ward.

Pointing to her breasts Jin asked, "Chibusa?"

"Rufang," she replied.

Jin nodded his head and spoke to her in Mandarin.

"Bu rufang," he said pointing to her breasts.

Pointing to her stomach he asked in Japanese, "Ibukuro?"

"Wei," she replied back in Mandarin.

Jin demonstrated to her that he wanted her to cover her breasts with her hands by placing both of his hands on his chest.

"Bu rufang," he said in Mandarin and then dropped his hands down to pick up the Aloe Vera Leaf.

"Shi wei?" he asked holding up the leaf and pointing to her stomach.

"Hai ibukuro," she replied in his native Japanese language dropping the sheet and covering her breasts with her hands.

When the gel touched her skin Noko once again spoke harshly to him.

"Ta made!" she hissed out through clenched teeth.

This was the second time she had said this to him and he wondered what it meant but had no way of asking.

"Sori," Jin said gently rubbing the gel into her stomach.

When he was done he reached down and offered her the sheet again as he took first one arm and then the other to apply the gel to it.

After he was done with her arms Jin then gently changed her bandage on her left hand.

"Ueta?" he asked picking up the used leaves as he got up and walked back over to the small table by the fireplace.

"Hai," Noko replied getting up herself and following Jin to the table.

Jin smiled in his sleep. He had learned that Noko liked fish over the eel that he usually ate for his meals. He also had to teach her how to raise the bowl that contained her food close to her mouth. Wherever she had come from she didn't touch her plate and brought the food to her mouth.

She had complained loudly to him about this but he didn't know what she was saying.

"At home I sit on a chair and our table is higher."

He had just shook his head at her.

"Sori," Jin had replied.

There were no chairs used around the dining table in Japan. Diners sat either on tatami (straw mats) or on the wooden floor. Vessels containing the food were served on a small, low, portable table called a zen. Because of this the custom was to bring the vessel containing the food to your mouth and use a pair of chopsticks to deliver the food into the diner's mouth.

At least he didn't have to show her how to use the chopsticks, but she did have a hard time with her new clothes.

Because Jin had cut her clothes off of her when they had first met, Noko had to wear traditional Japanese garments. Before they left the temple one of the nuns had tried to get her dressed but Noko didn't understand and had yelled at her.

Finally giving up the nun had walked out of the room.

"I quit Takeda Jin," she said, "Noko is your responsibility. You deal with her. I don't know what a "chang fu" is but I'm sure it's not nice."

"Sorry dear mother," Jin said as the nun walked away from him depositing Noko's new clothes into his arms.

He didn't know how to explain to Noko why she had to get dressed. She had taken to wrapping the bed sheet around her waist and wearing her purple kimono looking top but she couldn't do that when they left for Nagasaki.

Letting his head fall back against the wall behind him Jin closed his eyes. He didn't know what to do.

"Takeda Jin?" a voice called to him.

Jin opened his eyes and raised his head up to see a young girl close to Noko's age standing before him. She was new to the temple and had only been there for a few hours because she still had on her regular clothes.

"I overheard you and the nun talking," she said, "maybe I can help."

"I doubt it," Jin replied, "Noko only speaks a few words in Japanese. I can't explain this to her," he said holding up the clothes in his arms.

"No you can't," the girl replied as she took the clothes from him, "but you can show her."

"How?"

"Use me as a model," the girl said as she opened up the door to the room where Nokomis was staying.

Jin followed her inside and closed the door behind him. He could see Noko pacing the back wall clearly upset about what the nun had tried to do.

"Noko," he called to her.

"Jin," she replied as she stopped pacing to face him.

Jin walked over to Noko unaware of what the young girl was doing behind him. Taking Noko's hand he tried to lead her over to the futon.

"No way," she said in Mandarin, her eyes growing wide with fright, "I'm not into that!" she yelled pointing behind him.

Jin turned around just in time to see the young girl remove the wrap from her breasts and let it fall to the floor. Jin stood there mesmerized at her beautiful body and held Noko's hand tighter. That didn't help matters any as Nokomis broke away from his grip and ran away from him into a corner of the back wall.

"Shite Kudasai Shinai," Noko said in Japanese with tears in her eyes trying to hide.

"Te, onegai shimasu," Jin said turning to face her, correcting her when she had said 'please no'.

"Takeda Jin," the young girl said to him.

Jin turned around to look at the naked young girl before him with only a loin cloth on. Jin watched as she started to take that off too.

"Stop," he said, "Noko has one on already."

"Okay," she replied, "but please let me try my way."

"Noko," she said quietly pointing to Nokomis in the corner, "Sayuri," she said pointing to herself.

Nokomis pointed to the lily that sat in a vase on the table beside the young girl and said, "Sayuri."

Sayuri turned to look to her left. Seeing the flower she quickly crossed the room to pick the flower up out of its vase and brought it over to Nokomis. Stopping a few feet away from the trembling girl, Sayuri held the flower out to her.

"Hai Sayuri," she said pointing to herself.

Nokomis tentatively took the flower from the naked girl wondering what she wanted as Sayuri turned and walked away from her and back over to the futon.

"Sayuri?" Nokomis quietly asked.

"Hai," Sayuri said turning around holding a white strip of cloth in her hands.

Sayuri pointed to the cloth and then to her breasts.

"Sarashi," she said holding the cloth out to Jin.

Jin crossed and took the sarashi from her and walked over to where Nokomis was cowering in the corner. Nokomis ignored him, when he came up to her, as she watched Sayuri pick up another cloth and roll it up from one end.

Placing the rolled sarashi just below her left armpit Sayuri unrolled it as Nokomis watched. Sayuri unrolled the material across her body widthwise and gradually changed its angle downwards as she went. When Sayuri went to wrap a second time upwards she pressed her chest down while wrapping up. When she was done Sayuri tucked the remaining material into the other layers.

"Sarashi," Sayuri said pointing to her chest.

"Hey, wait a minute," Nokomis said in English crossing to stand in front of the young girl. "Is that what the other lady was trying to show me?" she questioned as she felt the cloth on Sayuri's chest.

It reminded Nokomis of a balconette bra without the straps.

"Takeda Jin," Sayuri said as she watched Nokomis fingering the linen material on her chest, "what is she saying?"

"I have no idea," Jin replied back, "Noko speaks two different languages."

"Three if you count our language too," Sayuri said, "No wonder you are having problems."

"Shinai Noko," Sayuri said as she saw Nokomis take her purple top off and grab the cloth from Jin's hands trying to wrap it around her own breasts without rolling it up first.

Sayuri gently took the cloth from Nokomis and rolled it up for her and then handed it back so that Nokomis could bind her breasts with the cloth.

"Hai!" Sayuri said as Nokomis tucked the end into the other layers.

Sayuri then reached down and picked up a white jacket looking top.

"Gi," Sayuri said as she placed her arms into the sleeves of the top. Sayuri showed Nokomis the hidden ties on the inside as she placed the right side down first and tied the two hip strings together in a bow. Sayuri then placed the left side over the right and tied the other hip string together just like she had done on the other side.

Nokomis bent down and picked up her gi putting it on like her bathrobe from home. Grabbing the left side first she went to place that across her chest and felt a hand on her wrist. She looked up to see Jin with tears in his eyes.

"No Noko," he said in Japanese knowing that she wouldn't understand him, "please you're not dead. Not that way."

With trembling hands Jin helped Nokomis place the right hand side down first and then the left.

"Sori," she replied to Jin squeezing his hand.

Clearly there was something wrong with crossing the gi top the wrong way.

Jin opened his eyes and kissed the top of Nokomis' head as he slid further back into the small cave he had found to keep them out of the rain, taking her with him. His kimono and hakamas were soaked and he was cold, but Noko's fevered body was keeping him warm. He had hoped that the cold rain would bring her fever down but it had not.

Jin turned his body so that Nokomis' body was inside the cave and his back was facing the opening. This protected her from the elements but left Jin with getting splattered by the pelting rain.

Lightning flashed across the sky revealing Jin's dark blue silk kimono with its kamon four-diamond emblem in white in the middle of his back. Jin had four kamons on his kimono, a sign of a ruling class family, with one on each of his sleeves and one on the left side of his chest.

Noko had had one on her kimono, in the middle of her back, but when Sayuri had shown Nokomis her kimono and how to put it on Nokomis hadn't liked the blue one that Jin had gotten for her.

Sayuri had a purple homongi kimono with two white peacocks on the front. Their tails feathered out onto the back and right side of the kimono. There was also one peacock on the right sleeve, in the back, with the bird's tail feathers flowing out across the sleeve and onto the left sleeve too.

Nokomis had fallen in love over the homongi kimono and had tried to trade her plain blue one with Sayuri's. Jin had tried to explain that she had to wear his kamon so that people would know that they were of the same family and not stop them and ask questions, but failed.

"Takeda Jin," Sayuri said taking off her homongi kimono and handing it to a very happy Nokomis, "let her have it. I can't wear my kimono for three years now anyways. I'll sew your kamon on her left chest so that people will see it."

Jin had thanked Sayuri as she showed Nokomis how the Hara-awase obi, that had sides of two different colors, was worn to produce a drum bow look. It had taken Noko a few times to figure out all the parts to her obi but she had gotten it in the end.

Another flash of lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder woke Nokomis up with a start.

"Jin!" she cried out in the darkness.

"Hai," he replied holding her closer to his chest so that she would know that she was safe.

"Mizu?" she asked in Japanese.

Nokomis was thirsty and her muscles ached. Fever racked her body and her head ached also. This afternoon she had found it hard to walk and after a rest period, in which she had soaked her tired feet in a cold stream, she tried to keep up with Jin.

They had left the temple twenty-two days ago to a place Jin said was "Nagasaki" when she had asked. That's when it hit Nokomis where she was. Nagasaki was the capital and largest city on the island of Kyushu in Japan. That's where she had recognized the word 'arigato' from. It meant 'thank you' in Japanese.

Unlike her mother, her father was interested in Japanese history and often had his nose in a book about it. Nokomis only wished that she had learned how to speak Japanese now instead of Mandarin that her mother spoke. It would make speaking to Jin so much easier.

Nokomis knew that they were walking south by the sun, away from a place Jin had called Edo, but she didn't recognize the city.

"Maybe it's a small town," she said to herself as she followed after Jin, who walked ahead of her with his left hand always on the two swords that he wore on his left hip.

She had recognized the shape of the swords, a katana and a wakizashi and yet as she followed him there was something oddly familiar about the young man. The thought had been pushed to the back of her mind as they walked the dirt path out of town. Nokomis was confused. If this was Japan where were the roads? Nokomis saw no cars, no planes, nothing of any modern technology as they went along.

That first night there had been no hotel, no inn, only a blanket on the ground and a small fire in which Jin had roasted some fish that they had caught before the sun had set.

Twenty-two days of nothing but rolling hills and fields where rice grew. Twice they had stopped at a Zen Temple where Nokomis and Jin had watched the priests chanting and offering fruit and rice at an altar in the monastery.

Before the day was out she had watched Jin reverently kneel before the altar and mutter something with his hands held together, fingers peaked up, in prayer before he got up and closed the wooden cabinet doors of the shrine before the sun set for the day.

She had liked the Zen Temple at first. At least she was inside, sleeping on a futon, but she found she missed Jin by her side. He was not allowed into her room at night. She didn't understand why, when she had gone to his room, she couldn't stay there either.

"Sorry," Jin told her showing her back to where she was to sleep for the night, "but I can't stay with you here in the temple."

Jin kissed the top of her head after depositing her back into her small room and slid the door shut behind him. She had gone to open the door, not wanting to be left alone.

"No!" Jin had sternly told her in Japanese as he held the rice paper door shut.

Finally Nokomis had gotten the message, but she wasn't happy about it. Jin had always been by her side since day one. Watching over her, protecting her. She had found it a little awkward the first night when Jin had laid down by her, on his left side, with his back towards hers. After the third night she had come to expect it and on the twelfth night she had come to rely on him.

That night two men had tried to rob them late in the night but Jin, who slept with one hand on his katana, had frightened them off killing one in the process.

Nokomis watched in horror as Jin cleaned his sword with the rice paper that he carried in his kimono, tucked into the folded flap of his left chest. When he had gone to offer his hand to her he had seen the horrified look in her eyes and had dropped his hand.

"Sori Noko," Jin said to her dropping his face to the ground and walking a few feet away.

Nokomis hadn't talked to Jin for a day after the incident but realized that in the end all he was doing was protecting her. That was why she didn't want to be alone. She didn't know how to protect herself. There was no phone, no police. She had lost everything she ever knew. Her clothes, shoes, socks, even her parents. She didn't know anyone except Jin in this place.

"Jin," she called out again, "Mizu shite kudasai."

Jin shook his head from side to side. "Sori," he replied.

Noko was asking for water. He knew that she must be thirsty but he had nothing to offer her. Her fever had started up eleven days ago as well as her vomiting up everything that she ate.

Twelve days ago they had gone through a small village that had been brought down by hososhin just like Enkiri Dera Temple. Jin, having had the disease as a child, didn't give it much thought as he and Noko had stayed in the stable of a family who had been infected.

"Noko just has a cold," Jin had told himself when she had first become sick, but now he doubted himself for saying that.

Noko pointing over his shoulder brought Jin back to the present.

"Mizu," she said again.

"No Noko," Jin said in Japanese, "Not water."

"Mizu," she insisted pointing to the rain.

"Ame," he told her releasing her to hold his right hand outside the cave.

Bringing his wet hand back inside he showed it to her.

"Ame," he told her again.

Instead of repeating the word Noko grabbed his wet hand and placed his fingers into her mouth. Sucking off the water.

"Stupid," Jin told himself when Nokomis released his hand. He had been so worried about her that he didn't realize he had water. Buddha was providing him with plenty as he quickly placed his hand outside the cave again to let the rain fall into the cupped palm of his hand.

Bringing it carefully back inside he offered his hand to her. Noko eagerly drank from his hand and watched as he went for more. The pair kept this up until Nokomis was full.

"Arigato," she told him placing her head back onto his left shoulder.

Jin smoothed her hair back on her forehead with his wet hand. Her fever was worse. He needed to get her to the local apothecary and soon. "Hopefully the rain will stop in the morning," Jin told himself as he pulled her body close to his and rested his chin on top of her head, finally able to fall asleep himself.


End file.
